Deku: The Augmented Hero
by Delusional777
Summary: Izuku Midoriya definitely asked for this. In this story, Izuku is cybernetically augmented in his mind and body, which provides him the means to be a hero from the very beginning, but where one door opens, a greater one may close. Without a fully living body, does Izuku still have what it takes to be the number 1 Hero?
1. Beating Heart

"You should probably just give it up."

The All Might action figure fell from grace, onto the floor. Inko Midoriya gasped, but quickly composed herself for the sake of her son, wishing to scramble whatever was left of the crumbling situation. Was the doctor implying that her little hero simply... _did not have_ a quirk? No need to jump to such assumptions over an admittedly vague statement right? She had heard of quirkless children and had even seen a few in her youth, but that didn't happen nowadays, right? Quirkless. The concept seemed almost alien.

The doctor gave a resigned sigh, while it didn't happen often, he has given the news before, and the children always seemed to be cut from the same cloth, excitable, kind, bright, and always aspiring to be heroes. Why couldn't he break the news to some little brat instead? He decided this was no time for emotion and carried on his duties.

"Your child...is _extremely_ unlikely to be a late bloomer. I've shown you the picture of his foot, the 2 pinky toe joints indicating a lack of quirk. The only thing out of the ordinary about this child is a slightly higher bone density. I...I am sorry, Midoriya-san."

The ride home was painfully quiet and uneventful.

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxX

Despite the misfortune previously handed to him in this life, Izuku Midoriya would never give up his greatest quality. The trait of generosity. A simple desire to help others. It was ingrained in his body, the milk of human kindness simply being another term for his blood. He was idealistic about it, willingly choosing to believe that anyone, quirkless or not, could make great change in the world and those who are evil may one day find their way back to the light.

"I-I wont let you hurt him, Kacchan!"

It's a shame these admirable qualities don't usually do anything for him personally. His ex best friend often put a wrench in these machinations.

"HAH, and what are YOU going to do about it, Deku? You're never gonna hit back anyways, even if you did have a quirk!"

The bully flashed a wicked grin full of malice and swung at Izuku, who couldn't react in time and took the blow in all its glory. As much glory that could be mustered by a 5 year old, anyways. He fell limp to the ground, his head colliding against it. His conciousness was on the brink of the abyss, but he could only feel rage. Against Kacchan and himself, for being the same old useless Deku who couldn't save anyone. He watched as the next victim could only sputter and freeze in fear, as most did when directly under the tyrant's gaze.

A voice spoke, and a preternatural calm descended on him. He didn't hear it directly, but he certainly understood it, almost as if he was imagining it. An electric shiver coursed through his veins. He could feel his entire body...change.

 **Rebooting...**

 **Augmantations: Active**

 **Situation Assessment Completed**

Suddenly, the pain was gone.

The fear was gone.

The haze was gone.

In their place, Izuku Midoriya was reborn.

 _I have to protect that kid._

The young hero stood up, with newfound righteous determination radiating off him. Kacchan heard the sound of metal scraping behind him, and hesitated. Its not like the kid was going anywhere. He turned around and was met with a fearsome, but admittedly cool sight.

Deku was glaring at him, his arms and legs covered in a silver black metallic texture, some muscle apparent, his face etched with thin, barely noticeable lines, as if every piece of skin was carefully manufactured to fit his skull's frame. His eyes, once with green irisis and white sclera, now gold and black. His stance was solid and his fists were clenched, he looked ready to defeat some bigshot villain. Katsuki Bakugou refused to be unnerved by the icy glare.

 **Threat Analysis Concluded**

 **Threat: High**

"Deku...you said you didn't have a quirk. Were you _lying_ to me? This whole time? And your actual quirk, was being a _fucking_ _robot_?"

He was met with silence, the nerd was probably calculating some shit in his robo-brain or whatever. The kid behind him ran away, but that weakling was of no concern compared to what was infront of him, although Deku seemed to relax a little. Goddamn Deku. A robot? This entire time? When his awe faded at the realization of it all, a single, primal thought remained. Violence.

"Deku...that's honestly the _COOLEST SHIT."_

 _Did...did Kacchan just call me COOL_ _Still a threat?_ _What does he mean by ro-_

"MAYBE NOW YOU'LL FINALLY HIT BACK YOU FUCKING DEKU-CON!"

Izuku regained his focus just in time, and time slowed down compared to before. Katsuki ran and threw a punch in his most reckless fashion, and Izuku saw every step, every muscle in his arm contracting, it was absolutely surreal to see his fist gradually sliding past where his jaw used to be. He felt as though, it he really wanted too, he could grab his wrist before he pulled his arm back.

 _Everything looks so slow...is this my quirk? I HAVE A QUIRK?!?_

On the other hand, Katsuki was _furious_. How the _fuck_ did he dodge that? He looked like he didn't even try! He wasn't even _paying attention_ to him, like the bastard had something better to be doing, he was mumbling to himself IN THE MIDDLE OF A FIGHT FOR FUCKS SAKE! Sparks were seen and crackles were heard. He felt a smile rise to his lips, this was gonna be a strong one.

"DODGE THIS, DEKU!"

Izuku realized what was going on too late to dodge, and put both his arms infront him to protect his face. King Explosion Murder brought both his hands infront of him, the artillery focused right on Deku's center mass, and _fucking fired that shit._ He immediately felt a numbed pain in his arms, he would definitely be sore, but it would be worth it.

When the smoke cleared, he saw a standing up mass of crystalline black infront of him, vaguely in the shape of a person. The inky crystal black unraveled, gradually disappearing, starting at... _his fucking, unscathed face._ Deku looked like he hadn't taken a goddamn scratch. Even his arms looked untouched, protected by whatever that crystal shit was. What the fuck?

 _What the f--heck? I don't feel anything! He didn't miss or anything. He never misses...maybe.._

Katsuki roared in little 5 year old fury, absolutely pissed that his best blast to date did NOTHING against this useless pebble in the road. Izuku was still lost in thought, as if he didn't even fucking notice what just happened. His mind was completely overruled by his emotions and he tried to punch Deku again, but this time, he didn't dodge.

Deku felt something collide against his face and heard a scream, spooking him out of his train of thought. He looked up to see a crying, screaming, and cursing Bakugou holding his right hand in his left arm, cradling the injured instrument of pain. Panic overtook him when he realized what just happened.

 _Kacchan punched me and hurt his hand!_ _Oh FUCK._

The aspiring hero freaked out worse than the aspiring number 1 did, frantically claiming everything would be ok and dragged Katsuki home to get help, the former not taking a single second to take account of his new body and the latter swearing up a storm of pain and threats the entire way.

 **Authors Notes:** So, this is my first fanfic. Writing is hard. Ever played Deus Ex Human Revolution? That's where I got the inspiration for this story and it seems an idea available for the taking, so to speak. I really want to put my all into this story, but while giving criticism (which I DO encourage), please be aware that I am somewhat new to the mechanics of this site, I use the mobile app version and it seems to work fine, thankfully. Also I don't own My Hero Academia, nor have I ever owned My Hero Academia, I probably never WILL own My Hero Academia, yadda yadda please dont take my fic down.


	2. Nanotube Vessels

Inko Midoriya stood worriedly in her apartment. Izuku usually got home by now. What if he got in trouble? She knew her boy wouldn't hurt a fly but with all the bullying that she knew occured because of his quirkless status, she just couldn't help but worry. Maybe he lost it. Maybe he hit back and the school was keeping him for discipline. Maybe he was ambushed by that little hellion Katsuki. Maybe he was being bullied right now.

Inko sighed, maybe she'll make Izuku a snack for when he gets home. He seemed to really like Katsudon, although that was more of a meal. She decided to go for it. Anything to keep her busy and calm her down.

Suddenly, the door burst open, and what she saw was beyond belief.

"MOM! KACCHAN HURT HIS HAND AND HE NEEDS A HOSPITAL MOM PLEASE!"

Was that REALLY Izuku? Her little boy? Inko stood there in shock. Katsuki had an expression of rage and pain, and was clenching his right hand tenderly. Izuku...No. She couldn't think about that right now, Izuku was safe and Katsuki wasn't. Simple as that. She could figure this all out later.

"L-lets go."

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxX

A quick call to the Bakugou matriarch Mitsuki, and a hospital admittance later, Katsuki was resting not-so-comfortably in a bed. Thankfully, the doctor determined the injury as non-serious, so no lasting damage was to be expected. When asked how his injury occurred, Izuku stepped up and told them he accidentally punched a wall really hard, much to Kacchan's dismay. He did NOT want Deku to help him as if he needed it. He was _fine._ Still, he was content keeping the real reason quiet.

Then _she_ arrived.

"KATSUKI YOU LITTLE SHIT! HOW THE HELL CAN YOU BREAK YOUR HAND PUNCHING A WALL?!? DID YOU REALLY THINK YOU CAN PUNCH THROUGH WALLS LIKE ALL MIGHT OR SOMETHING?!? YOU'RE LUCKY YOU HAVE SUCH A GOOD FRIEND TO TAKE CARE OF YOU!"

"HE DIDN'T TAKE CARE OF ME YOU HAG! ALL HE DID WAS WALK ME TO HIS MOM, I COULD'VE DONE THAT BY MY DAMN SELF!"

Mitsuku didn't dignify her son with a response, which only seemed to annoy him further, and spoke to Izuku instead, legitimately interested in the "quirkless" child's appearance.

"I really want to thank you and your mom for helping my son, the _little brat_ just doesn't know when to stop sometimes...so what's up with the cosplay? That looks _really_ real."

Mitsuki looked at Inko, who was nearly in tears, who in turn, looked at Izuku. Now that the danger was gone, the elephant in the room needed addressing. Izuku brought his mechanical wonder of an arm up, staring at it with eagle-like vision and clarity with digital eyes, enraptured in its design and control. He didn't know exactly when this had happened, only knowing that what happened to Kacchan was because of him. After a few moments of thinking, he spoke up.

"I think this is my quirk..."

Mother Midoriya's emotions broke through the dam and flooded the room, taking the form of happy tears. "OH IZUKUUUUU I KNEWWWW IT!" She rushed the poor child, picking him up and hugging him with the strength of a titan, that likely would've physically broken something if Izuku was still 100% human. Now though, he just had moderate difficulty breathing, his skeletal frame holding firm through the onslaught of pure, motherly love. Mitsuki held a shocked expression on her face, a vast array of thoughts being played with and processed. Of course, this was the perfect time for the doctor to come back.

"Ahem, Bakugou-san. Your son is expected to make a full recovery from his injury in 2 to 3 weeks, until then he should limit the use of his hand, including his "Explosion" quirk. I also belie-"

"WHAT DO YOU MEAN I CAN'T EXPLODE ANYMORE? WHO THE HELL ARE YOU TO SAY-"

"HE'S A DAMN _DOCTOR_ YOU BRAT, HE CAN TELL YOU WHATEVER THE HELL TO DO AND YOU'RE GONNA DO IT! Ahem...I'm sorry for the interruption, please go on."

The doctor wore a worried expression on his face. Were they stressed from mental traumas of some kind or was this family just...loud? He decided this wasn't something he wanted to be involved in. Besides, he had distinct memories of inadvertently crushing a certain Midoryia's dreams, but the very same one was here looking... _slightly different._

"Right...these papers will explain everything. Midoryia-san, I've noticed a most unexpected development with your son here. If I may, I'd like to determine his quirk's nature. I'm sure you and him would like to know as well.

Inko attempted to recompose herself after the outburst, setting down a started, but otherwise _happy_ Izuku, who perked up at hearing an opportunity to learn more about... _his own quirk!_

"O-Of course, please take as long as you need, I'm sure Izuku wont give you any trouble." Izuku's brightest smile appeared, setting (nearly) everyone's shining star in their hearts ablaze.

"I'll perform some tests to determine his quirk, its limits, and other information you should probably know."

He drew some blood from the boy's arm, his expression unchanging the whole time. The liquid was golden and seemed to shine through the syringe.

"Interesting..."

The doctor walked away to perform the tests, taking Izuku along as well. Inko was left with Mitsuki and her child, but worry began to grow. How would her boy handle all the attention? It's not like he could go all day hiding his entire body, and someone was bound to notice those lines on his face soon enough, not to mention his beautiful new eyes. He would have attention drawn to him his entire life. He seemed to be stronger, but can metal even grow? If they got damaged would they have to be repaired by a mechanic every time? Izuku _could_ become a hero now, but being a hero was so dangerous and she couldn't imagine him getting hurt. Would Izuku be stuck with little 5 year old arms forever? A harrowing throught occured. If Izuku's body was metal, did that mean...

 _Will I ever have grandchildren?_

Tears welled up in her eyes. She knew she was overreacting but she couldn't help it. The entire world would seem different due to Izuku's quirk. It WAS better than being quirkless, but it was much more complicated now. The hypotheticals kept firing off in her mind all while Mitsuki was politely trying to get her attention, giving up on the polite part after 4 seconds, shocking her out of her train of thought.

"INKO!"

"W-WHAT?"

"Come with me, alright? Katsuki, dont break anything." Truth be told, something was bothering Mitsuki but she couldn't discuss it infront of the kids, _especially_ Izuku.

"Hmpf."

The mothers left the room and came out into the relatively empty hallway, the smell of cleaning alcohol and bodily fluids permanently permeated into the walls themselves. Inko was worried for Izuku, but couldn't help but wonder why her best friend brought her out, alone. Maybe something personal was going on with her life? Mitsuki was never good at being subtle or bringing herself down to someone else's comfort level, something she knew she had passed on to her own child. She figured it was better to _just say it already._

"Uh, M-

"Is Izuku Hisashi's son?"

 _Did she just?.._

"Wh-WHAT!?!"

"IS THE KID...someone else's?"

"NO! Fuck Mitsuki how the hell can you ask something like that?"

She shrugged nonchalantly, "Just curious, I mean, Fire Breath and Weak Telekinesis doesn't exactly add up to Optimus Prime."

Inko was bewildered by the whole situation, never in her life has disloyalty reared its ugly head in her thoughts, even when Hisashi was never around. Her son was all she cared about, all she ever would care about. She admitted to herself that her friend had a point though, Izuku's genetics would never likely add up to cyborg. It had to be some kind of mutation.

Mitsuki responded, "I dunno, I figured if there was though you'd tell me. Can't help a girl for being curious about her best friend's life~"

Inko glared at her.

"Right, nothing. Sorry."

Footsteps were heard in the hallway, and the two mothers were met with the doctor and Izuku returning from the testing room. Izuku looked a little tired, but happy as ever, while the doctor had an expression of puzzlement on his face. Interesting news was inbound.

"HI MOM!"

"Izuku quiet down please!"

"Hiiiii Mooooooom"

Mitsuki rolled her eyes at the exchange. Adorable as ever, those two. She opened the door for everyone and they returned to the room.

"...I have completed the tests. These forms will go over the finer details of his quirk, but I will explain the basics."

Izuku perked up, eager to absorb as much information as he could. Despite being the one testing and being tested on, he didn't really find that much else out, nothing that he could put into words, anyways.

"Ahem. Your son has a mutation type quirk that's previously unseen before. I documented it as "Augmentation". His natural body is so heavily "augmented" with mechanical and chemical structures that, by appearance, he is more machine than man. His arms, legs, and majority of internal organs are augmented. While his augmented body parts are not _technically_ living, they function as if they were, which means his augments will repair themselves and their host, as well as grow alongside him. His strength is comparable to a gorrila's, and will only continue to grow as he does. His motor control is excellent, and his eyesight is extraordinary, being able to see clearly in low light conditions and over long distances with minimal effort. Aside from his passive augments, he has an ability that projects a type of "armor" over his entire body, including his externally unaugmented chest. I have to compare it to a transformation type quirk, as it seems to strain him significantly and he cannot hold the armor for long. He generates energy from his own movements, and from exposure to sunlight, but his stomach is perfectly functioning as well, likely better than before, in fact. I performed some intelligence tests, and while smart, he doesn't have any significant social or academic advantages that could be related to his quirk...at least, not for now."

Woah. That was...a lot. Was that really just "the basics"? It seems things would be more complicated than she thought. She looked into the digital eyes of Izuku, and found hope, joy, and a steely gaze of determination. _This is a good thing_ , she consciously reminded herself. Still, nothing wrong with getting as much information as she could.

"What do you mean, not for now?"

"Ah...well the issue is, I cannot determine a stopping point for his mutation. He is still growing after all, and it's incredibly likely he will have access to new abilities and...augments..as he grows. I expect he will see new changes in the following years, so I reccomend you come visit me every 6 months. That is all, Midoriya-san.

"HMPF!", exclaimed the rowdy child that was Katsuki Bakugou, having heard all the information. "That's a pretty ok quirk Deku, but I'm still gonna be a better hero than you." Mitsuki moved to scold her child, but Izuku heard none of it.

All he heard was that Kacchan thought he could be a hero.


	3. High Definition Memory

Years passed and Izuku Midoriya's quirk continued to improve, provide new functions, and gradually cover ground inside his body. To Inko's amazement, the metal limbs grew alongside her son, for all intents and purposes, they were living. Of course, being the child Izuku was, he would have some issues have some incidents over the years...

 **Accessing Deep Storage Data...**

Memories washed over Izuku like a gentle stream, of the amazing as well as troublesome situations his quirk has gotten him into...in premium HD.

"Mommy can I help you cook? Pleaaase?"

"Well I don't know sweetie, you're a little young to be handling a knife..."

"Pleaaase?"

"Oh _fine_ Izuku, but let me get a smaller one."

 _Mom's getting me a small knife. Hmpf. All Might doesn't use small knives. He eats BIG food to stay BIG so he...uses BIG knives_

Izuku felt an odd sensation, like an electrical current was running through him, then it was replaced with another sensation beneath his skin. Actual crawling. In his skin. He brought his arm to closer inspection, and out of the upper layer of his arm, a 6 inch blade, nearly as wide as his arm but thin enough to fit inside, protruded from just above his wrist, going directly over his knuckles, seeming impossibly close to grazing them. Izuku gasped at the sight and and tested his other arm, the same process occuring.

 _This is SO COOL! I'm like that Canadian hero with the claws! I can cut ANYTHING!_

Izuku looked at the cutting board and the vegetables on it. A devious smile crept onto his face as his idea took place. Unfortunately, mommy returned, just as he was about to test his blades...

"IZUKU P-PUT THOSE BACK WHERE THEY CAME FROM RIGHT NOW!"

"But Mooooooom I just want t-"

 **"Now, sweetie."**

Chills came down the child's neck when he realized how serious mom was being, and retracted the blades into his arms. What he didn't realize, was that Inko thought he was _holding_ the blades, not that they were a _part of him_. Apon seeing her son retract _literal blades into his arms_ , she **screamed.**

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxX

"...and THAT'S why All Might could be beaten by Eraserhead."

"As IF, even if his super strength COULD be erased, and I don't think it can, he is still a massive titan against some skinny ninja."

"Hey, Eraserhead isn't skinny! Not everyone can be as built as **All Might!** I'm just saying that Eraserhead is the perfect counter."

"The moment he closes his eyes, All Might is gonna rush him faster than he can open them again. You're just delusional."

"Oh my god. You are SUCH a FANBOY Midoryia. You sure you don't have some kinda malfunction in your subroutines?"

Izuku _hated_ that joke. Just because his quirk made him look like a robot didn't mean...

"I'M NOT A ROBOT SHINSO-SAN!"

"Oh yeah? So why is it I can't brainwash _you_ , hm? It works on everyone else...except you. Whenever I try with you it feels like I'm being blocked by something. I can see your brain but I can't touch it."

Izuku paused. _Was that really true? It explains the weird looks he "randomly" gave me from time to time but...is my brain really not human anymore? What even am I...?_

Shinso sighed. Midoryia was going on another one of his famous muttering-to-himself rants. He's heard about it before but he never really thought he'd witness it.

Not more than twice a day, anyways.

Suddenly, Izuku abruptly stopped and his voidlike golden eyes rolled into the back of his head for the smallest of moments, before immediately returning, and continuing his muttering. It was...disturbing, to say the least.

"Midoryia?"

"Yes, Shinso-san?"

"What was...that?"

Izuku felt a tinge of red and heat infect his cheeks and his ears. _Did he notice? Damnit I hate it when that happens. There's no warning or anything. Sometimes I really wish I could just disappear and not have to be such a weird malfunctional robot._

And so, he did.

"HOLY SHIT!"

"W-what's wrong, Shinso?"

"Ah...you're..not there, but I can hear you, where are you Midoryia?"

Izuku didn't understand what was going on. Shinso didn't usually play pranks on him, but he was infact, here. He was looking at where Izuku was, but not directly at him, as if his face was moved somewhere else on his body.

"I'm _right here_ , I never moved. Stop acting weird!"

 _Hm. I can kinda see his brain, so I'm not imagining things. I can't see him, but I can hear him. Is the answer really so simple? I thought he had an armor ability, not..._

"Hey Midoriya, look at your hand."

Izuku hesitated. His hand? Was this some kinda brainwash attempt? He didn't feel the urge too. Maybe he ought to anyways, Shinso seemed weird right now and he didn't want to freak him out any further. He took a glance and _holy sHIT WHERE'S MY HAND?!?_

"AHHHHHHHHHH SHINSO OH CRAP WHERE IS MY HAND WHY IS THIS HAPPENING TO ME I DON'T UNDERST-"

"Midoriya, it's fine. You're just invisible."

 _Invisible? How can I be invisible? Is someone using their quirk on me? I KNEW Shinso was playing a prank! I bet one of his friends is spying on us._

"Shinso, I know you're involved in this somehow!"

"I swear, I have nothing to do with this. No pranks. Honest. Maybe it's part of your quirk? Like the armor?"

 _Like...the armor?_

The augmented future hero focused, and concentrated on that feeling. That feeling of wanting to be away from the prying eyes of the world, the stress and anxiety that came with being stared at for the void in his eyes and the metallic texture of his skin, the unpleasent unwanted glares received when he made a mistake. He focused on that horrible ball of emotion in his stomach...and let it go. It's ok if he messed up. It's ok if he was looked at funny. Heroes make mistakes sometimes, and they ALWAYS get stared at. He didn't need to hide the way he looked, because soon he would look like a hero instead. The invisibility unravelled, exposing a boy who felt a newfound pride in himself.

Then he nearly fell to his knees because _goddamn was invisibility exhausting._

"So...you figured it out?"

Izuku could barely respond, his respiratory system temporarily on overdrive to keep him in the realm of conciousness. "Yes...I did...I'm gonna be a hero Shinso-san. I'm gonna be the BEST hero ever!"

Shinso felt a sting of shame at hearing the words. Izuku certainly had the quirk to do it...but he recognized something else. He had the spirit for it too. It was the one thing he wanted, more than anything in the entire world. The entire world couldn't stop him if it tried.

"I know you will, Izuku..."

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxX

Hanging out with Kacchan was always kinda weird. They played games and talked and did things like normal friends would, but it always seemed like he was doing it out of necessity. This time was no different, except today his true intentions would be shown.

"Wow Kacchan...we're heading out kinda far, huh?" Izuku was a little worried. While certainly old and powerful enough to take care of himself from the average thug, (especially with Kacchan with him) he wasn't sure what to make of going _this far_ into their normal playing woods. What if they ran into a bear with a gigantism quirk? Or a wolf with a speed quirk? This far out, the noise and relative safety of civilization was lost to them. Then Izuku bumped into the explosive teen because he wasn't paying attention again.

"DEKU, QUIT YOUR MUTTERING AND LOOK WHERE YOU'RE GOING!" The little twerp was muttering again. It didn't surprise him in the slightest, but he'd at least figure out why he brought him out here right? Katsuki looked at Izuku, a rather "Deku" expression on his face. Guess not. Whatever.

 **Threat Assessment: Moderate**

 _W-WHAT! WHERE?!?_

Katsuki sparked up, firecrackers going off in his hands. Deku froze. Is this the threat? Is this why he brought him out here? To beat him up? He looked at the King of Explosions (and possibly murders) and saw he was _not_ joking around. A cruel grin full of malice, just like when they were boys.

 _Damnit Kacchan! I don't want to fight you._ _I thought things were better now...? Was it just an act?_

"Kacchan..."

"SHUT _UP_ DEKU, I'M SICK OF YOU LOOKING DOWN ON ME! You might have a more versatile quirk, but there's no way in hell you can fight the big villains All Might fights with your quirk! So just _GIVE IT UP ALREADY_

The angry 'splody boi rushed foward to deliver a vicious right hook, which was barely dodged by Izuku.

 _He's gotten faster!_

"I-I don't want to hurt you, Kacchan! Let's just play or something, _please_."

Suddenly, a shiver made it's way through the aug, it felt as if every nerve was lightly grazed by a feather. It wasn't painful, but it was a pressure so intense it felt as if his very _soul_ was touched. His eyes rolled into the back of his head.

"FUCKING FIGHT BACK ALREADY!" Katsuki aimed an explosion at him, center mass, and let loose. The blast obliterated the area behind Izuku, taking 2 innocent trees from this world and injuring 3. Izuku was too stunned by whatever the hell that malfunction was to get his armor set up. At least he finally got a good shot off on him. He waited until the smoke cleared, and saw him, flat on his ass with the _stupidest_ look on his face. The explosive teen's heart went aflutter at the sight.

"HEY! DEKU! Ya dead or something?"

"N-nooo..."

"Sweet, get back up."

Izuku was stunned in more way than one. _What the hell just happened? That feeling I get when a new augment showed up, but its like All Might was backing it up or something and just beat me into the dirt! I hope I got something good..._

"Deku. Get up."

"W-wait Kacchan let me jus-"

"I SAID GET FUCKING UP!"

"WILL YOU JUST FUCKING WAIT?!?"

A pause.

 _Oh god did I just..? Please don't hurt me pleasedonthurtmepleasedonthurtmeple..._

Katsuki paused as well. Did he just fucking hear that right? Did Deku just fucking _talk back_ to him? Who the FUCK does he think he is? He should fucking pummel him for that yet...

He wasn't really upset. Sure, Deku didn't get up and didn't stop being annoying, EVER. But if he was willing to talk back to him...that means he's finally growing a pair and might fucking fight back for once. About damn TIME. Deku was muttering to the point of hyperventilation, completely unnecessary, as always. He figured he'd have to take this slowly. Introduce it as "training" or some shit like that. Explosions vs the wimps unwimpy armor. See who runs outta juice first...not a bad idea.

 _Ohmygod is this it? Is this the end? Ohmygod please don't kill me. My hero name is about to be Stain_ _because by the time he's done..._

"Deku, QUIT YOUR DAMN CRYING! I'm not gonna kill you today..."

 _T-Today?!?_

"I have an idea. We ain't really gotta "fight" but...what if we...trained instead?" Katsuki struggled with those last few words. Not fighting? It feels so unnatural, but it'd probably fucking work at least.

 _He wants to...train with me?_

"S-Sure Kacchan, that could work I guess. What did you have in mind?"

Kacchan gave an evil grin, happy to return to his old self. "Your armor against my explosions."

 _Oh._

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxX

The memories ceased their flow, and Izuku could only laugh at his own inexperience with his abilities. Over time he had honed them to be useable more consistently, but they still drained him quite a bit. Especially the last one, Pheromone Emitter. It took him a LONG time to figure that one out.

On command, or sometimes, not on command (which was quite embarrassing), he could release undetectable pheromones, a mix of microscopic stimulants or depressants that would be inhaled by those around him, and the chemical makeup of those particles would affect the brain directly, either calming them down or riling them up. When he told Kacchan about what happened, he was _pissed_...but he never stopped the training. Izuku smiled at realizing he used his powers to help his friend, in his own small way.

The aug smiled. Life was good, wasn't it?

 **Author's Notes:** Apologies if all the exposition was too much for y'all, I just want to establish my cute little Deku's abilities and such before we head into any legitimate combat *wink wink* that may be coming.


	4. Plastic Stomach

The day passed without much event, Izuku went through all his normal classes, successfully interacting when he was required to, passing with flying colors. Today was the day the students would "think seriously about their future", though naturally everyone wanted to go to the various hero courses around the country, seeking money, glory, or a straight up adrenaline rush in the form of an occupation. Too few wanted to be a hero for the sole purpose of helping people. Two in that room dared dream of attending Yuuei High, the most prestigious heroics establishment in the world. One of which was Izuku Midoriya, which the teacher was so kind as to announce to the entire class. Suddenly, the day stopped being uneventful.

Katsuki Bakugou's started sweating, all for the wrong reasons. Crackles and miniature explosions erupted from his palms, a clear announcement to the class that he was about to set something straight, and it probably involved Izuku. He rushed over to the cyborg's desk and slammed his hands on the table.

"DEKU! YOU REALLY THINK YOU CAN COMPETE WITH ME IN YUUEI? YOU NEED MORE THAN JUST SHITTY ROBO PUNCHES TO BEAT VILLAINS. YOU JUST GONNA STAND THERE AND LET THEM WAIL ON YOUR ARMOR UNTIL SOMEONE SAVES YOUR ASS?"

The class chuckled at Bakugou's assertive approach and a few took out their phones the moment Midoryia's name was called, knowing just how predictably it would play out. Bakugou would get his panties in a twist, Midoriya would try to get him to _chill_ , usually by giving up entirely (which Bakugou already knew would probably be a fucking lie) and Bakugou would say something along the lines of "Hmpf, damn straight", and stomp back to his chair so he could get pissed off at something else in the next ten to thirty minutes. It was the natural order of things.

"Actually Kacchan, I'm gonna be the NUMBER ONE HERO", said the metallic protagonist, sporting a haughty tone.

 _What the fuck did he just say?_

The class _ERUPTED_ in a mass mixture of laughter, howling, gasps, and jeering towards the two rivals, those of which had taken a side affectionately referred to themselves as the "Bakusquad" or the "Dekusquad" and then turned this mob emotion towards each other, all while the teacher in the room was trying not to laugh at his class' antics.

Izuku's mind wasn't too terribly complicated, never was. It was efficient and certainly one of the better ones, but it ran on emotions, just as most of them did. What he was feeling right now was not something he was ever used to feeling, but it did feel good, so naturally it consumed every fiber of his being for a short period of time like a new crush or a new augmentation. What Izuku was feeling couldn't be described as anything else other than self satisfied, superior, and _smug_. Izuku felt _smug._

A week ago during one of his regular training sessions, Deku had, through a few mistakes on Bakugou's part and not-shitty usage of armor and cowardly maneuvering, managed to outlast his own explosion quirk. Ever since his "victory", if making an enemy tired could even be considered that, Deku radiated this bullshit glow of rainbows out his ass. He hadn't expected this holier-than-thou attitude to extend to the classroom. He was gonna wipe that stupid ass shit eating grin off his face, mark his words.

While Katsuki was formulating a response to put this dumb motherfucker in his place that wasn't in the form of physically beating him within an inch of his life, (which he certainly wanted to do but wouldn't risk Yuuei for it) the clock struck that special time in every student's heart. The class was free to leave the school and prepare for their futures, the vast majority probably needing to find another dream profession in ten months. Deku was already out the door, leaving the explosive teen raging and pushing through the crowds in an effort to catch up and politely inform him of his inaccurate statement. Just kidding, he was catching up to beat his ass.

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxX

Izuku deactivated his invisibility, freeing himself from a significant strain. All of a sudden, the sun's rays seemed more appealing now. He rolled up his restrictive school uniform's sleeves the best he could, and checked to see if the coast was clear. He sighed and returned back to the path he used whenever he wanted to avoid Kacchan. It wasn't like he was a bad guy or anything, just too loud and angry for his liking sometimes.

He thought back to what he said in class and giggled to himself like a child. What emotion overtook him and compelled him to say those words? He had no idea, but it was intoxicating. It felt as if he was good at something. Better than others, even. Was this what they called Pride? If this is what Kacchan felt all the time, why was he so angry?

 _Man, he's gonna be SO mad at training._

Suddenly, he felt...something. It happened again. Izuku looked around and saw nothing. He probed around for any new augments. Nothing on either fronts. Something was going on and he was _not_ in on it.

 **Threat Assessment: High**

"K-Kacchan? C'mon it wasn't that bad..."

Then the sewer plate behind him exploded.

 _Vibrations. I was feeling VIBRATIONS STUPID D-_

"ARGH! Damn All Might! What the hell is _he_ doing here? Two minutes...I got tw-..."

Izuku felt a primal terror go up his back. The kind of human fear that has kept us alive since times of old. It was the feeling of being in someone's sight. He looked around and his digital eyes were met with something...really gross looking.

The villainous creature stood at an intimidating height, staring right at him with an evil grin. Although "standing" wasn't the right word. It looked entirely made out of a sludge substance, which seemed fitting considering it came out of a sewer. The words it spoke next would provoke fear, and a combative instinct.

"Mechanical Mutation type...not my preferred taste, BUT IT'LL DO JUST FINE!"

Izuku's survival instincts kicked in just in time for the Sludge Villain to send a tendril towards his knees, intending to get him on the ground. The attack was just _barely_ dodged, and Izuku came to a dire realization.

 _He said he has two minutes. What does it mean? Is it his quirk limit or is someone chasing him? I can't just run, if he's willing to go for me on sight he'll probably attack anyone else he sees. I have to distract him until help arrives..._

 **Combat Assessment: Concluded**

 **Enemy combatant is composed of a liquid substance, and is able to control it's own viscosity fully. It is faster than it appears and stronger than you are. It seeks to "possess" your body and escape from a greater threat in disguise. Armor: Ineffective. Blunt Force: Ineffective. Countered by faster reactions using Arm Blades and by exploiting it's vulnerable eyes.**

Izuku paused. Arm Blades. He discovered the augment when he was young and thought they were the coolest, but now he was well aware of how dangerous they are. They could easily kill if he wasn't careful, and could seriously injure even if he was. He extended the blades a foot and a half past his knuckles. The edges were kept incredibly sharp by his internal systems, and the length had increased as he grew up. The Sludge Villain grinned apon seeing the blades and the child's new, more fluid stance.

"You making some kinda plan kid? Good shit. NOW DODGE THIS!"

The villain spit out some sludge towards Izuku, which he easily dodged, but at the same time, sent out a massive tendril that forcefully collided with him. Izuku was sent flying and slammed against the wall so hard it cracked. A golden ichor oozed from his mouth, and he scolded himself for falling for such an obvious ruse. Something was definitely broken.

"I ain't fuckin' stupid, boy. You're not the first or the last. Now just stay still and this'll be over soon..."

The second wind hit Izuku like a train, and he fully forgot any repercussions of hurting the villain, this being a matter of life and death. With a desperate scream he swung the blade at the villain, who almost leaped away unscathed, if not for the large gash in his right eye. Reddish sludge leaked out of the wound and the trash reject roared in pain.

"FUCK THIS SHIT AND FUCK ALL MIGHT, I'M GONNA KILL YOUR STUPID ASS IF IT'S THE LAST THING I DO!"

The aug stopped, completely sure he misheard him.

"Did you just say All Might?"

If TrashFace could pale, he probably would at this moment. Exactly how much time had passed again? The two combatants stared at each other, one in glee and the other in terror, before a rumbling was _felt_ and a mountain of a man crawled out of the sewer hole.

" **I AM HERE!"**

"OHMYGODITSALLMI-"

"GODFUCKINGDA-"

Faster than either of them could comprehend, All Might dashed foward and got Izuku out of the line of fire, before looking back at him with a knowing wink.

 **"Good job on the defense boy, but I'll take it from here. Enjoy the show~."**

"A-A-All M-"

All Might turned towards the villain, who could only quiver under the gaze of the symbol of peace. In a last desperate act, he willed half his mass into various tentacles and sent then towards All Might, who dashed under them and brought his massive fist foward, bellowing a mighty war cry.

 **"TEXAS SMAAAAASH!"**

The Sludge Villain had fallen. It's liquid form that was once held together was now splattered on every surface as if it was hit by a train, although a train would probably do less damage. Izuku stared, wide eyed, in awe at the sheer **POWER** that was All Might. The behemoth looked back towards him, prompting a surge of fanboyism previously unseen.

"OH MY GOD ALL MIGHT THAT WAS AMAZING HOW DOES YOUR BODY HANDLE THAT KINDA POWER, I mean I consideredmaybeyoujustgrewupwithitandtrainedbutstillitssocrazyImeanIjus..."

The child continued on ranting, but he seemed good natured. He had blood on his hands and a golden substance over his face, contrasting with his mostly void eyes. There was a crack on the wall, perhaps the boy had been thrown into it? If he wasn't part machine it likely would've killed him. All Might felt a pang of guilt for letting the villain escape in the first place.

Because of his incompetence, a _child_ had to defend himself against a full fledged villain. The boy was lively as ever but what happened when that injury caught up to him? The adrenaline would wear off sometime, and the villain still needed to be apprehended.

 **"What is your name, young man?"**

Izuku took a deep breath. This is All Might he's talking too! He should make an impression at least, especially since he wants to be a hero. He answered as firm as he could, along with a bow.

"Izuku Midoriya, thank you for saving me, sir!"

 _Sir?_

All Might let out a bellowing laugh, this kid was too cute. Brave as well, considering he faced down a villain...perhaps..?

 **"No need for sir or the gesture Young Midoriya, its all part of being a hero! Tell me, are you injured? That golden stain on your face is most unusual..."**

"O-Oh this? It's my blood, I coughed some up when I ah...hit that wall. DON'T WORRY THOUGH, my body is good at repairing itself!"

Izuku cringed at the sudden increase in noise in his voice. _Calm down damnit!_

 **"I am glad to hear that. Well, I must clean up the villain and get it to the station, I'm sure someone else needs saving!"**

"WAIT! How about...I help you clean him up?"

All Might's smile seemed more genuine then, the child was kind as well. A real catch...perhaps he was worthy? Young Midoriya. The name simply rolled off the tongue in an almost eloquent manner. Maybe he'll ask him later, he didn't want to further implicate the child in hero work, he was technically breaking a law or two already. As well as the fact that he was approaching his personal limit. Still, glancing at the boy's extremely _human_ expression despite his quirk...ah what the hell.

 **"OF COURSE MY BOY,** **however I'd ask you keep your mouth shut about this you hear? This isn't exactly legal...**

Izuku nearly squealed. He was personally helping All Might! A thought occured to him. He had nearly every piece of All Might merchandise there was, except...

 **and of course, I'll sign an autograph for you** **when it's all done!"**

 _Am I in Heaven?_

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxX

After the sludge villain was safety secured in some two liters, All Might's autograph offer was fulfilled, and Izuku gave All Might his exact weight (and odd request, but what was he supposed to say?), the number one hero grabbed the number one fanboy and gently placed him on his own massive shoulders. Izuku barely had time to react and held on for dear life, screaming the whole way as All Might launched himself away from the ground like a rocket, accelerating with such force Izuku nearly slipped off him despite his own immense strength.

All Might gracefully landed on a rooftop that towered above the other buildings in the area and set the kid down. Thankfully no one was around. He hoped he was using the proper judgement with Midoriya, because this information was NOT something he could screw up with. He already felt a hot steam rising off his torso, extending to his legs and forearms. The symbol of peace took a deep breath, and spoke calmly.

 **"Young man, I have something to show you, and an offer to make. As you know, I have been the world's symbol of peace and justice for a very long time. I cannot last forever...but my power can. I-URGK!"**

The steam that was previously around All Might exploded into a cloud, and when it settled, a ghastly figure remained. He was skeletal and honestly looked rather sick, his clothes...

 _He's wearing what All Might was wearing! That can't possibly be..._

The sickly man stared at him, if he didn't know better he would've thought he was glaring. A moderate amount of blood leaked out of his mouth as he recomposed himself.

"Young man, my name is Toshinori Yagi, I am the number one hero, **All Might**. My quirk, **One For All** , is a quirk that can be passed down like a sacred torch from one user to the next, making it one of the oldest quirks in existence. I see a great amount of potential in you, Izuku Midoriya. I ask you one question. Do you wish to be the world's next **Symbol of Peace?** "

To be the very best hero, to be someone who would inspire the world with his smile. This was exactly what he wanted, from that very first All Might video, that was his dream...and yet something felt wrong.

 **Quirk Assessment Completed**

 **One For All: Allows the user to gain unrivaled levels of raw strength through their bodies, can be transferred to other humans through unknown means. Incompatible with Augmentation. One For All requires living tissue as a conduit. Majority mass of Augmantation user is unliving tissue.**

 _God fucking damnit._ For the first time in awhile, Izuku felt completely and utterly crushed. Out of all the quirks he could've gotten, all the situations he could've been placed in, he managed to be in a situation where his dream would certainly come true, if not for his own damn mechanical mutation type quirk. The power of All Might would never be known to him, and he couldn't help but feel the sorrow of erased potential weigh on him. He would've cried if he was capable, instead emitting a series of pheromones and holding his head in his cold hands. All Might seemed taken aback. The man suddenly felt...despair and sorrow, heavy as lead. He drew his own conclusions.

"Young Midoriya, are the quirked parts of you technically unliving?"

Izuku nodded.

"I...I am sorry, young man."

"D-Do yo-"

 _"Yes. I do believe you can still be the number one hero."_

Izuku stared in shock at All Might. The words. _He said them._ How could he let something like his own quirk stop him? Some people didn't even have quirks, rare as they were. His own quirk was rightly powerful, having as many functions as it did. Yuuei was in ten months, and he had to be ready.

"T-Thank you A-All Might, I won't let anyone down!"

All Might flared up, briefly entering his muscular form to deliver words in a more inspirational tone.

 **"I know you can do it, Go Beyond..."**

Izuku didn't hesitate.

"PLUS ULTRA!"

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxX

 **Author's Notes:** As it turns out, Izuku's quirk doesn't do too much against a prestigious villain like Trashfucker, and would've likely been outmatched if All Might didn't show up when he did. He's actually a pretty cool villain to me, not that many can counter him effectively. Since All Might gave Izuku a piggyback ride (cute!), Izuku was never gripping at his pants for dear life, the sludge villain never escaped and Deku was never in that situation to try and save Bakugou.

Now, regarding One For All, since Izuku doesn't have such tremendous power, there will be situations where he will not prevail so simply, and I'm excited to delve into it. Izuku will be going into Yuuei next chapter, yay longer combat scenes and yay more characters.

Now, on the subject of Izuku's possibly augmented robo dong. I don't know. Stop asking about it. Deku: The Augmented Hero is not _that_ kind of story, and while I'm aware I'm eventually gonna have to approach the subject when shipping comes up, that day...that day is not today. Be patient, dear readers.


	5. Reinforced Knuckles

Ten months have passed since Izuku's encounter with Earth's mightiest hero. Since then, he has trained with Kacchan and refined his abilities to a formidable degree. His armor was nigh indestructible and could be held for three minutes at a time before exhaustion caught up with him and needed a break, his invisibility was more strenuous though, and could only be held for one and a half minutes. He could punch and slice through most types of trees with minimal damage to his own body, and his lung capacity was an impressive 8 minutes, which was great because he couldn't swim. At all. The first time he went to the pool since his augmentations activated he literally sank to the bottom of the pool. He has grown leaps and bounds and now...he was ready. The entrance exam to Yuuei was right there, all he had to do was take that first step.

"DEKU!"

Kacchan was next to him in an instant and gave him a hearty clap on his shoulder, except it was actually more of a smack, it was actually on his head, and he unleashed a somewhat controlled explosion on contact, likely causing a serious brain injury to anyone who's skeletal system wasn't reinforced...and so that first step into the future of heroics was a complete and utter failure.

The pavement rushed up to meet him, but a flash of pink and a sturdy pair of arms later, he was right back up, disoriented and confused, but unharmed.

"Hey dude you alright? You nearly made out with the ground!"

 _Ohmygod a GIRL_!

Izuku looked up to see the girl's back to him, she and Kacchan were in a glaring contest- _oh no._

"WAIT WAIT HE'S MY FRIEND!"

The girl stopped what she was about to say and turned around, and _holy super crap she was cute_. Her skin as well as her hair were pink. _Pink._ She had a pair of horns jutting out of her mess of curly hair that seemed to fit so perfectly despite its chaos. Her face was aesthetically pleasing to look at, bordering beautiful, and her expression was strong and genuine, a mixture of anger and concern. The most breathtaking thing however, were her _eyes._ A vast, nearly empty void with a single sun in the center, the yellow irises were downright _piercing_ in their intensity, as if everything she looked at was being blessed or cursed with the warmth or power of a supernova. It was like looking at a black hole, with your single greatest desire on the other side, daring, _begging_ for you to reach out and grab it, to overcome the impossible just to grasp, even for just a moment, eternal happiness.

"He's your frie-OHMYGOD YOUR EYES!"

The girl's squeal of disbelief snapped the boy out of his stupor, but her _smile_ reeled him back in, as if All Might himself decided to pick up fishing. She was downright beautiful now, and he was stuck between the choices of stopping a misunderstanding between her and Kacchan, explaining his quirk to her, asking about her quirk, and asking if she's also aiming for the hero course. Given these circumstances, he did his best.

"H-HEY um, you...thanks for stopping my fall, I'm not too good with f-falling. T-This here is my friend Kacchan, he was just messing around with that whole _smacking me_ thing, my quirk makes me pretty tough so I can take it, and it makes me eyes like yours too!"

 _Like "yours"?? THATS TOO PERSONAL, I SHOULD'VE SAID "LIKE THIS"._

Kacchan was visibly annoyed at the word _friend_. "Deku, we're not friends. We train together because everyone else is too fucking scared to train with me. Listen here Racoon Eyes number 2, _Kacchan_ is a nickname, and only _Deku_ gets to say it, because he's the only one who can survive the consequences of saying it. So if you feel like keeping your arms attached, you won't fucking say it. Name is Katsuki Bakugou."

The girl looked annoyed at the explosive teen's attitude, but didn't dwell on it. "Deku" seemed nice enough, if a bit nervous and red in the face. He was probably used to having to keep his friend on a leash around others. Deku spoke up, some forced lightheartedness in his tone.

"HA HA HA, ah what a kidder right? Well _Kacchan_ , I'm the closest you got to a friend." He looked even more pissed off now, but he didn't deny the statement. The girl spoke again.

"Hello, Bakugou. What's your name, Deku? Mine is Mina Ashido. I didn't know you were friends, I guess everyone shows their care differently, I can tell he's just a big softie!"

For the first time since they met, Deku laughed and gave a genuine smile, and _woah,_ it was something. He looked like someone turned a puppy into a human being! How could Bakugou ever be mean to _that_ face?

"My name is Izuku Midoriya, and yeah Kacchan IS a softie, why one time while we were training..."

Bakugou scoffed, and headed to the auditorium where they would receive instructions for the physical portion of the entrance exam, he didn't need to hang around for whatever bullshit moment Deku misinterpreted as kindness.

"Don't stay too long with your girlfriend Deku, if you don't fucking get in to Yuuei I'm finding someone else to train with..."

 _Girlfriend?_

That seemed to do it, Mina noted. Midoriya was having some kinda panicky episode, flailing his arms and stuttering, trying to retort to his friend, but failed miserably. She did take the gist of it though, he was embarrassed and shy around those concepts wasn't he? This is gonna be _fun._ She got rather close to Midoriya, wrapped her arms around his neck, like a blushing bride just wedded, and spoke with a refined _posh_.

"Oh _Izuku~,_ you won't just let him say those horrible things will you? What an uncivilized brute!"

"I-I u-uh I???!?"

The look on his face was _priceless._

"BWAHAHAHA OH MY GOD MIDORYIA YOU'RE TOO MUCH DUDE!"

"T-Thats NOT FUNNY ASHIDO-SAN!"

"YOU SURE? WHY ARE YOU SMILING THEN?"

 _Goddamnit I AM smiling. This girl is merciless._

So he started laughing as well, because in all honesty Ashido did pull a good joke, and for a brief moment, there was no training, no Yuuei, no heroes or villains. It was just Izuku with his friend, having fun. Izuku realized that she hadn't let go of him yet and his face received a new wave of red, but Ashido...

Ashido couldn't help but stare at him. The green haired, golden eyed boy had freckles, but there was...something off. An inconsistency in the canvas. Barely noticeable, but it was there. A line went right through one of his freckles, as if his face was carefully assembled by some kinda surgeon...or mechanic. _What a weird quirk..._

 _How long have I been holding onto him like this?_

She let go of him immediately, just now realizing how unintentionally close she had gotten to inspect him. A splash of light violet blush betrayed her and crept onto her face. Desperate to change the subject, she asked him about his quirk, or would've, if Izuku didn't beat her to the punch.

"H-Hey Ashido, I hope you don't mind me asking but, what does your quirk do? I'm really interested in how you look."

 _Oh, are you now?_

As if he read her thoughts, or spent a second to realize how that came out, he immediately broke into another blush, looking away and keeping himself deathly quiet. Ashido giggled at his social inexperience but ignored it otherwise, feeling merciful after the stunt she pulled on him. She pulled up her sleeve and let a few drops of hydrofluoric acid drip out, heavily diluted of course.

"I don't mind at all Midoriya, my quirk is called Acid! I can kinda squeeze acid out through my skin, and can control its concentration and...slippery-ness. I have this cool technique that lets me surf off solid ground! As for my appearance, the skin is from the acid, but the rest is all natural genetics~"

Midoriya got over his embarrassment incredibly fast apon hearing her talk about her quirk, he stared at her while she talked, completely absorbed and into it. When she stopped talking, he immediately started, eager to share his thoughts.

"THAT'S SO COOL! You could be a great hero, Ashido! You could break out of or break through any restraints to save hostages, and you could also melt locks and such to ambush villains, or maybe you could shoot the acid out of your hands like a mist, so you could incapacitate even really strong villains as long as they have eyes! OOOO YOU COULD ALSO BE A SCARY HERO, Gang Orca and Endeavour are really intimidating, and that makes villains more likely to surrender instead of fight, if you get yourself a good costume you could make yourself look like a demon or a monster!"

 _Woah...he is SUPER into this, I_ _like his energy!_ _So this is what makes him tick...heroes and quirks._ _I never realized how many uses my Acid could have, plus shooting it like a mist instead of a bucket of sludge? WHY HAVEN'T I THOUGHT OF THAT?!? An intimidating hero huh? I could totally go for that, I have the eyes and the horns for it. Demon or Monster...or Alien._

God this boy was smart. Smart with pretty eyes, like hers. Eyes. _His quirk!_

"Hey Midoriya? I'm kinda curious about your quirk. Does it give you night vision?"

 _Night Vision?_

Izuku paused. It's not like it was a bad guess or anything, it just made him realize how much of a blessing his quirk was, despite the drawback of not accepting One For All. Some people really did just have night vision or some quirk that made their eyes unusual. Hell, he read about a quirk that broke the user's bones. That's it. Some didn't even _have_ quirks. The thought of a bone breaking quirk passed through him like a tremor, filling his plastic stomach with a uneasy sensation of déjà vu...

"Midoriya? You still there? I didn't break ya again did I?"

"OH S-SORRY Ashido-san, I was just lost in thought."

Izuku rolled up his sleeve, revealing the technological marvel of a limb to her, flexing his metallic muscle and slowly moving his fingers around, demonstrating their function. The wonder on her face was as clear as the stars in her eyes.

"My quirk is called **Augmentation** , and it replaces my limbs and some of my insides with cybernetic counterparts, basically upgrading my entire body to work better. My eyes do see very well in the dark and much better than normal eyes as well, I'll explain the rest to you on the way there cause we're about to be late."

"You're like a _robot,_ Midoriya. So cool!"

Izuku usually disliked that term, but this time it didn't bother him as much...

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxX

Izuku explained as much as he could about his quirk to Ashido until they were forced to seperate to their individual seatings. They learned about the physical exam from the hero Present Mic, then a somewhat stuck up boy with glasses called his muttering habit out, and he discovered that him and Kacchan would not be in the same battle simulation, to which he commented "Good, your dumb ass would probably need saving when you realize your offensive potential is utter crap."

"So you're saying you'd stop thrashing villains to _save me_ , Kacchan?"

"YOU SAYING I'M NOT ABLE TO BEAT UP VILLAINS AND SAVE PEOPLE?!? THAT'S WHAT A HERO DOES RIGHT? YOU THINK YOU CAN DO BETTER DEKU?!?"

 _Ahhh, that's the Kacchan I know._

They split paths after leaving the auditorium, and Izuku found himself infront of massive walls guarding a hollow city. The sheer lack of sound was surreal. He had forgotten what true silence felt like, the atmosphere was tense and uneasy. The rest of the contestants were quietly talking amongst themselves and performing stretches. One in particular, had pink skin with horns.

 _Its_ _Ashido! I wonder what she thinks about the physica-_

"You're not thinking of disturbing her while she's stretching, are you? You should know better than to sabotage someone else's concentration for your own personal benefit! Shameful. I do hope you're taking this as seriously as you should."

Izuku flushed as the other students chuckled at the fierce scolding the tall boy with the glasses dished out.

 _Damnit, THIS guy is here too? He certainly doesn't pull any punches._ _That means I can't either! Yuuei will be a tough school, and heroes receive criticism all the time, even when they do things well. I have to be more assertive. Like Kacchan. He would always win. Assertive. Kacchan._

"Hey, uh, listen here...glasses guy. I think you should, ah, take your opinion and, uh, stick it...like...somewh-" but before Izuku could finish embarrassing himself and everyone else via secondhand embarrassment, a super loud **GO!** rang off and the gates to the concrete jungle opened.

 **"WELL? THERE ARE NO COUNTDOWNS IN REAL LIFE? GET MOVING KIDDOS!"**

 **Timer Started: 10 Minutes**

"We _will_ continue this exchange later..."

The sheer intensity from the tall applicant was intimidating, and he broke off in a run, Izuku briefly saw his legs before he rocketed away.

 _A speed quirk_ _, damnit I need to catch up!_

Izuku sprinted to the previously soulless city, eager to rack up some points, get into Yuuei, pass everything the best he could, become a sidekick, turn into a pro hero, turn into the _best_ pro hero, and continue the era of peace that All Might had started. Nothing too serious, just the fate of the world.

 _Relax, one thing at a time right? All Might didn't become number 1 by freaking out!_

He spotted a 1-Pointer, and adrenaline was administered through his system. It was fight or flight, but was leaning towards fight.

 **Combat Assessment: Completed**

 **Threat: Low**

 **1-Pointer Robot: Composed of steel and wiring, not faster or stronger than you are. Attacks with rubber bullets from firearms. Vulnerable to Arm Blade augment and blunt force trauma.**

 _Good enough!_

Izuku rushed foward towards the robot, extending his arm blades and activating his crystalline armor around his face, as the robot took notice of him and rained a hailstorm of rubber ammunition towards him. Most of them missed, and the ones that did hit did not create enough force to stagger him back. He got in close and slashed the robot's single tire with one blade to stop it from moving, and decapitated it with the other to get that point.

 _One down...way more to go!_

He repeated this process a few more times, desperately picking up his pace while also looking for _something other than 1-Pointers please!_

He rounded a corner and was met with a sight that was a pure example of "Biting off more than you can chew". The rude speedster and some blonde dude with a fancy belt were pinned underneath multiple 2 and 3-Pointers, who were emitting ominous sounds that could only be described as _laughing_. Izuku lept into action.

 **Combat Assessment: Complete**

 **Threat: High**

 **2-Pointer Robot: Scorpion-like frame, it's tail attacks will overwhelm your defenses. Similar speed to your own. Equipped with thermal imaging technology. Invisibility Augmentation: Ineffective. Vulnerable to blunt force trauma and superior reflexes.**

 **3-Pointer Robot: Tank-like frame. Significantly slower than 1-Pointer. Immensely stronger than you are. Missile pads composed of non-lethal incapacitating chemical. Respitory Filtration System can filter these chemicals for 2 minutes before overuse. Vulnerable to Arm Blade and Invisibility Augment.**

 _Have to watch out for the 2-Pointers!_

Izuku changed course last second, nearly being pinned by one of the 2-Pointer tails that cracked the concrete. One of the 3-Pointers launched a gas missle between the Speedster and the Fancy Belt, putting both of them to sleep, and joined its allies to face the new threat. Izuku counted and changed position, two Scorpions and 3 Tanks. The Scorpions were more dangerous due to their speed, while he could mostly ignore the Tanks until he needed to step out of the gas to let his breathing catch up, as fighting while holding his breath would severely diminish his breath holding abilities.

He gave himself 3 minutes before he had to retreat. How much time did he have again?

 **5:44**

 _Good enough! I hope._

Izuku let a scorpion try and lunge for the kill, and dodged the tail gracefully before grabbing its "face" with both hands, and tore it into two with his formidable strength. The tanks approached slowly behind, and unleashed a salvo of gas missles on his location. His filtration system activated, and he continued undaunted. The other scorpion feinted a tail strike, but instead grabbed his arm with its pinchers, catching him off guard and then went in with its tail, landing a succesful blow against the augmented applicant who nearly crumbled under the strike. Nearly.

 _Holy shit that might've broke something...I hope those two didn't get hit this hard.._

Izuku kept his footing and grabbed at the pincer still clamped on using his free arm, lifted both of his arms over his head and slammed the robot on the ground with as much force as he could, stunning the foe. With as much force as he could muster, he stomped in the head of the beast, a symphony of metal on metal reverberating through the air.

Izuku looked towards the 3-Pointers steadily advancing towards him, took a deep breath, and remembered his technique. Calm, flowing like water. One day we are here, the next we may not be here, and that is ok. We live and we die, no one will best Time and that is alright. If I die, and fade from the memory of the entire world, where no one will ever know I existed...that's okay...because I DID exist, and even if its never known, what I've done, what I will do, will change the world immeasurably. Nobody may know my worth, and that's okay. I know my worth.

 _I know my worth...I dont need to be recognized by anyone._

So thought Izuku, before leaving the visible spectrum...

 _What has...happened?,_ Thought Tenya Iida. The ground was harsh concrete, and he was laying on it. He must be in a dangerous situation! He does not normally lay down on concrete. The memories came flooding back. He was in the entrance exam for Yuuei! He was fighting 1-Pointers and 2-Pointers with ease, but that all came to an abrupt halt when he tried to smash open a 3-Pointer, only for his leg to bounce harmlessly off the metal machine's plating! It was far stronger than he had anticipated, nothing short of a Recipro-Burst could destroy it, he concluded too late. The machine had gotten a hand on him and put him to sleep. Now he was awake, and the admittedly stylish French imitator was waking as well. The 3-Pointers were on the other side of the road, shrouded by what was likely sleeping gas, and what he saw seemed to defied logic.

In a spectacular display of sparks and methodical precision, the 3-Pointer tanks were being sliced open, eviscerated, disemboweled, decapitated, mutilated, decimated, and multiple other words he knew, all with their exact descriptions applied to the robots. It's as if a pair of invisible swords were engaged in a dance, either their main goal to bump into as many other dancers as possible, and it was working. First the arms would be cut off at the elbows, then the treads of the tanks were sliced upwards, sideways, and diagonally, and the finisher was a decapitation here, a head to chest downward slice there, and once a pure stabbing frenzy, as if the swords were looking for the very heart of the beast. It looked senselessly violent, but Iida could tell, at its core, it was cold, calculated _efficiency._

When the last tank fell, Izuku ran out of the sleeping gas and deactivated his invisibility. He was almost panting, having held invisibility nearly too long while dispatching the robots. Seems the speedster and "Casual Elegance" had woken up. Timer?

"Hey guys, the robots knocked you out with some kind of sleeping gas, I wishIcouldsaymorebutIreallywannagetinsoBYE!"

Just like that, he left the two safe, but disoriented on the ground.

 _Timer?_

 **1:47**

 _Crap! I gotta find more!_

Izuku rushed around the nearby streets, but it seemed like every villain bot was already destroyed by the others. Did he even have enough points t-NO _. Don't think about how many you have, just keep looking._

Suddenly, at what was _exactly_ the 1:30 mark, a threatening alarm blared through the city, and Izuku felt it a familiar sensation he only felt once before, roughly 10 months ago. During the Sludge Villain Incident. _Tremors. Vibrations. Something life threatening is coming._

Shrieks and screaming rang out from the very end of the street, a mere 300 feet away, was the **0-Pointer.**

It was a _massive_ robot, roughly the same size as the buildings surrounding it, and it was on a warpath, ignoring the city and advancing towards the congregation of applicants who had came to save it.

 **Combat Assessment: Complete**

 **Threat: Overwhelming**

 **0-Pointer Robot: Overwhelming height, weight, size, and strength advantage. Speed is Inconsequential. Equipped with thermal scanners. No Vulnerabilities. Do not engage.**

 _You don't have to tell me twice._

Then, he heard _her_. She's close to _it._

"D-DAMNIT! SOMEONE HELP ME!"

 **DO NOT ENGAGE.**

 _MINA._

The hero to be broke off into a desperate sprint, his adrenaline administers going into overdrive when it became aware their host was charging straight into a downright _suicidal_ situation. His speed picked up, and he took sight of the situation.

 _Mina almost buried under a massive chunk of debris, check._

 _The 0-Pointer that I have no chance of beating is nearly ontop of her, check._

 _The other applicants are running away, conveniently into my path, check._

Izuku reached her position quickly, and transfered all the momentum from his sprint into his fist, smashing the debris ontop of Mina into pieces. Mina looked injured. Broken ankle? No, sprained. Alright, now to pick her up, run away, and narrowly dodge the massive robot's attack _just_ as the timer runs off, looking like a total hero while doing so.

Or at least, that was the plan.

"Izu h-holy shit what are you do-WATCH OUT!" Mina let out a scream and desperately tried to leap away, not making much progress with her injury. Izuku realized what was happening. The robot decided not to draw this out any further and struck early. He turned around, the arm of the goliath halfway there to turning the both of them into a fine milkshake, fit for any cannibal or vampire. He focused.

The feelings associated with armor were similar with those associated with invincibility. It relied on ones feeling of stubbornness. Of knowing something is futile but going for it anyways, to spite the world, prove oneself, it didn't matter. Izuku remembered All Might, his smile and mere presence compelling courage in allies and terror in enemies. No matter what will happen, he has left his mark on the world, and will be remembered forever, as the hero who created a lasting era of peace. Unstoppable, Unmoveable, and Unrivaled. The world bended to his will, moved purely by his power.

 _I am All Might. I move for no one, and no one moves me. I will be forever remembered. I. Am. Infinite._

So thought Izuku, before being fully incased in inky black crystalline armor.

Today had been an interesting day for Mina Ashido. She talked with some old school friends, she met a very interesting guy with eyes like hers (who was actually part _robot_ ), then she realized the physical exam for Yuuei was a piece of cake since the robots were extremely vulnerable to her acid and had an absolute blast scrapping them, except for when she got her kill stolen by some french dude with a laser belt. All in all, she'd have to rate the day a good-to-great 8 out of 10. Thing is, no numbers could ever make sense of what the hell is going on now.

The damn 0-Pointer had caused some debris to fall on her, fuc- er, _screwing_ up her ankle and trapping her. Just when it seemed all was lost, her dashing prince Midoriya had come to save her! She was confused at first, but was happy knowing just how flustered he was gonna be whenever she brought it up, and _she totally would._ Before she could react to his rescue though, she saw the 0-Pointer lift it's massive arm, ready to paste them both. Midoriya looked at it, and _holy shit._

 _What he did was so damn stupid and heroic she didn't know which one outweighed the other._

The adorable green bean cyborg puppy activated his crystal armor, crouched down, and _jumped up towards the arm_.

"DETROIT SMAAAAAAASH!"

The impact of the robot's arm and Midoryia's fist actually halted the robot, and left a decently sized crater where he struck. Midoriya fell back down and hit the ground hard, but got right back up and crouched down again, readying himself...

 _He was stalling for time_ _, he knows I'm hurt yet...is he really going to do this until he's saved by the bell? He's insane! HE IS COMPLETELY INSANE!_

The robot swung again, and the Augmented Hero answered in turn.

"SMAAAAAAASH!"

Another impact, another recoil, another hard fall.

 _He's amazing. Midoriya is a real hero._

He got up again, but not all of his crystalline armor was there. His fists were bare, and his face could be seen, the armor was being destroyed and moved to his organs. He coughed up something liquid and golden, and his eyes went hazy for a moment, before resuming their usual clarity.

 _Fuck! Is that his blood?_

This was too much. He was doing too much! He's acting like he's All Might or something! They were all just kids with dreams of being heroes, why was he starting the real thing so damn early? He's clearly hurting and in pain! He could _legitimately die_ _what the fuck kind of exam is thi-_

"Mina."

He spoke, and she looked at his face clearly. He was in pain, the golden liquid continued to run. His eyes...his eyes looked unchanged.

"I-Izuku?"

"Everything...is fine. Why?"

 _Please don't._

The hero looked up towards the arm, about to descend on the both of them with the force of a train. Izuku crouched down, ready to face the titan once more.

 **"BECAUSE. I. AM. H-"**

 **"AND THAT'S ALL, LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, THANKS FOR PLAYING"**

The 0-Pointer stopped its onslaught, and all movement completely.

 _It...worked._

 _I saved her._

Izuku took one last look at her.

"Mina...I.."

 **Immediate Threats Neutralized**

 **Beginning Self Repair**

Then, his conciousness faded.

 **"IZUKU!"**

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxX

 **Author's Notes:** Yeah, so, thing is Kohei Horikoshi managed to create a series where _every single girl_ could be the undisputed best girl of their own series. They are all placed in the same series and I like all of them, with my favorites being Mei Hatsume, Mina Ashido, Ochako Uraraka, and *ahem* Himiko Toga *ahem*. I originally paired him with Uraraka since it would be easier to follow and let the canon romance sort them out, but Ashido was so much more _fun_ and natural to write, and I absolutely adore her eyes. This will still be more of Quirk Deku story than a MinaDeku story, so don't expect QuirkQuartz levels of writing romance from me please.

Dear reviewer who had I beaten to the punch on a Aug Deku fic, have no fear! This town is more than big enough for the two of us! I look forward to your ideas if you decide to go for it.

Izuku's body may be altered drastically, but his mind will be more or less the same, with an extra bit of confidence and bravado since he has had better relations with Katsuki Bakugou. I don't want to dehumanize him.

I'm actually a little annoyed with myself for not reaching the "Young man, this is your Hero Academia!" moment but ah, that's a problem for tomorrow. I did this over the span of 2 days and procrastinated the rest.


	6. Abiotic Systems

**Life Systems No Longer Critical**

 **Host Condition: Stable**

Izuku Midoriya's eyes slowly opened, greeted by an incredibly harsh light, before his digital eyes readjusted themselves to the environment. An artificial darkness, seen only by him, fell over the room and balanced the invasive contrast. To his left, a completely unblinded window, leaving his body fully exposed to the sun's wrath. He was laying down on something more sturdy than it was comfortable, and the memories flooded back.

 _I'm in a hospital! Never thought I'd need one of these for a while..._

He heard her before he saw her. A shifting of clothing, cloth rubbing on plastic, likely a chair. Rapid steps, and a voice full of glee, which he was _incredibly_ happy to hear.

"IZUKU~ DUDE YOU'RE ALIVE!"

Another voice, unknown to him, this one significantly older and with a resigned, impatient tone.

"Child, you _already_ knew he was alive."

Yet another voice, but this one he knew very, very well. Relief and strain evident in its tone.

"OH IZUKU YOU'RE ALRIGHT! YOU SHOULD BE ASHAMED FOR MAKING YOUR OLD MOTHER WORRY SO MUCH! JUST WHAT WERE YOU THINKING, CHARGING IN AND PICKING A FIGHT WITH THE BIGGEST ROBOT THERE WAS?"

Mina and his mother were both there, one smiling, with the other holding a fierce expression of relief, and a little old lady, who looked like she couldn't even be paid to give a damn in the slightest.

"H-Hey everyone, I guess I'm still alive. Are you alright Mi-ASHIDO-san? Did I pass the exam? Did YOU pass the exam?"

Mina snorted, while Mama Midoriya and Grandma gave him incredulous jaw drops and glares respectively.

"Hmpf, you wake up in a hospital bed after impersonating All Might to the best of your ability, and the first thing you ask is if the person NOT in a hospital bed is okay...to answer your question, Ashido sustained some minor damage from falling debris, but I healed her up just fine. YOU ON THE OTHER HAND, were nearly flattened by multi-ton robot and were unconscious for an _entire day_! I couldn't even heal you effectively either, since your quirk turns most of your organs abiotic. Know what _that_ word means, sonny? _Unliving._ If it weren't for the girl's advice that sunlight helps you gain energy, I wouldn't have been able to do anything. So maybe before you rush into the most dangerous situation you possibly can as if it's a morning buffet, please do realize your quirk does _not_ make you invincible!"

Izuku's face was completely beet red after the stern chewing out by the doctor, Mina was giggling, nearly laughing her ass off, and Inko just sighed, knowing full well there was nothing the doctor, or anyone in the world, could say that would stop Izuku from putting himself in such a dangerous situation if it was to save someone, and she had a feeling who it was.

"Izuku? You never told me you made a new friend... _and she's a girl!_ "

" _Mom."_

Mina's giggling had escalated to full blown laughter, and the doctor just huffed and walked away, not before giving Izuku one last menacing glare.

"Izuku your mom is _adorable,_ at least now I know where you get it from!"

" _ASHIDO!"_

Both of the girls had erupted with roaring laughter at his expense, and Izuku could not possibly recall a moment where he had been more embarrassed. This is what he gets for saving someone.

 _Well...maybe its not so bad._

Izuku moved his cybernetic limbs around, testing for any strain or fatigue, but everything was fine. He got off the bed and was about to ask (again) how Mina did on the exam, before a knocking came from the door.

"Oh! Come in."

A tall, but very slender man entered the room, dressed in a formal suit that looked a few sizes too big for him, his blue eyes shining discretely under his brow. He honestly looked more like a patient than some important person, until he looked directly at Izuku, a sly, knowing smile on his face.

 _Holy shit THAT'S ALL MIGHT!_ _What is he doing here? I gotta...I gotta keep my damn mouth shut before I reveal his secret!_

His voice was more formal and refined than it was when he had last spoke to the boy, but it was him, without a doubt...and only he knew.

"Izuku Midoriya? My name is Toshinori Yagi, and I was sent to deliver the test results for the physical exam to you. Your actions have sparked much discussion amongst the judges. Personally, I find what you did extremely heroic and those at Yuuei would be fools not to let you in, but alas, its not up to me. Young man, just know that even if you receive some bad news, I think you have the real makings of a hero. Goodbye."

 _All Might thinks I can be a hero. He's...proud..of me._

Toshinori placed an envelope in Izuku's hand, and walked away, closing the door behind him. The two in that bright room who were kept in the dark held expressions of confusement and concern.

"That was...weird. You know that guy, Izuku?"

"You haven't been getting into trouble with strangers have you Izuku?"

Izuku's face was still pale from the praise received, and finally allowed himself to breathe. It was a deep breath, one of relief for keeping his nerves under control and not screaming out "ALL MIGHT OHMYGOD" like his base instincts desired, as well as anticipation, because he knew that he hadn't gotten that many points on the physical exam, but desperately wanted to know the results anyways.

"I uh...dont know him. He saw my fights with the robots though, thats for sure.."

Izuku stared at the envelope. His future in his hands. He looked at Mina, and she responded with a small smile of reassurance. Her eyes held a softness to them, a type of softness unseen by most that knew her. She was worried...for him.

"C'mon, _Hero_ , open it."

The word was teasing, but genuine.

He opened the letter. The only thing it contained was a small disk, roughly the size of a cookie, one side contained the text, "This side down"...

 **"I AM HERE! AS A PROJECTION!"**

"OH DEAR!"

"HOLY H-"

"OHMYGOD ITS ALL MIGHT!"

 **"HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH! Greetings, Izuku Midoriya, and thank you for your efforts to enter our prestigious school. I have moved here to personally teach those at Yuuei High. Regarding your exams, you received high scores on your written exam, but only received** **19 villain points. Such a low score would not allow for a passing grade..."**

A deathly silence passed over them. Mina dared a glance at Izuku's face, it was completely neutral, as if he hadn't heard the news yet. His arms were limp, his hands were open. The strangest urge overtook her and she acted on it, anything to make things better, to lessen the blow. This was the dude who _saved her_ , who placed himself between a hard place and a giant killer robot just to make sure she wasn't harmed. She suspected it wouldn't have mattered who she was, he seemed like the kind of person to save anyone and everyone, just because it was the right thing to do.

And Yuuei was about to reject him.

She grabbed onto his hand and held, fingers intertwined. He tightened his grip immediately. No hesitation.

 **"HOWEVER, heroes are not defined by the villains they face. A hero, is someone who helps others regardless of their personal gain. They help others, because it is the right thing to do. We have a special type of point in place for such heroic actions...RESCUE POINTS! BEHOLD."**

All Might gestured to a screen behind him, and multiple scenes played out. He saved two contestants from some 2 and 3-Pointers, as well as his heroics with Mina. Izuku was in every frame, pushing himself until he could no longer stay awake, using every ability that he could use. He held _nothing_ back.

 **"Young man, for your heroic actions, as well as sportmanship shown towards your fellow competitors, the panel of judges has awarded you 75 rescue points!** **Adding these points up, you receive a total of 94 points!** **BRAVO, YOUNG MIDORIYA! YOU HAVE PASSED IN 1ST PLACE, AND HAVE SHOWN THE _REAL_ _MAKINGS OF A HERO_."**

All Might gave a sly wink at that last phrase.

Inko Midoriya exploded into a shower of praise and happy tears, congratulating Izuku on just about everything she could, and pulling him into a bear hug, massive feelings of pride and joy erupting from her heart, directed towards her own child, her own pride and joy.

Mina Ashido started screaming and jumping in excitement, drastically increasing in volume and energy as she realized her friend didn't just get in, he got in _1st Place._ She grabbed Izuku's other hand and her grip on him tightened, eager to drown in their energetic glee.

Izuku felt a genuine smile coming onto his face, because it finally felt like his dreams were no longer dreams. They were now tangible, something that could be _real._ He was going to Yuuei, the most prestigious hero school there was. That wasn't all he was happy about. His cold hands felt the warmth and energy from his friend, and he just now realized how long it had been since he made a new one. All he had was Kacchan and his mother, but now...he had another friend. Mina Ashido. A new friend and an old dream, now within his reach. His laughter started weakly, but quickly turned into beautiful sounds of bellowing, unrestrained happiness.

 **"Welcome, to your Hero Academia!"**

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxX

Izuku stared in awe at the entrance to Yuuei High, his hopes dreams were right there, in that building. He walked in, and started looking around for his homeroom class 1-A. He hadn't seen Kacchan or Ashido yet, but he probably figured they were already in their classes.

A grim thought occured to him, and it's name was Katsuki Bakugou, screaming at the _entire class_ , in some self righteous early attempt to establish his dominance, as he often likes to do whenever he enters a new room. He knew Kacchan was...rough around the edges, but if he had one other friend he would probably be happier. The only times he saw his smile was during training when he broke through the crystalline armor, and delivered a beating. Ah...good times.

 _There it is, the door. It's massive! Maybe there's a gigantification mutation in there...alright alright, just calm down, open the door, and maybe someone you know is in there._

Little did he know just how true that statement was.

"...so you're some stupid elitist prick? I hope that stick up your ass also serves as a spine cause I'M GOING TO CRUSH YOU!"

There was Kacchan, being himself. What Izuku didn't expect however, was that rude engine quirk user. His body language was very...expressive.

"Are you threatening a fellow student? On the FIRST DAY? That is _unacceptable!_ How could you possibly wish to be a hero with such an aptitude for violence? Are you sure you're in the right place?"

"HEY MIDORIYA!"

A silence, then everyone in the class shifted their attention to him, with Izuku shifting his attention to the class. Ashido was the one who spoke, her face lit up with a smile and frantic waving to let him know where she was, not that such a task was particularly difficult with her unique appearance. She was already up and approaching him, unfortunately, the same could also be said for Kacchan and the speedster.

"Midoryia-kun, did you have any trouble finding the place? I was honestly so los-

DEKU! HOW THE _FUCK_ DID YOU BEAT MY SCORE?!? I HAD 74 VILLAIN POINTS AND YOUR ASS SOMEHOW GOT FIRST WITH SOME BULLSHIT RESCUE POINTS! YOU SURE YOU DIDN'T SCREW ONE OF THE JUDGES WITH THAT USELESS PHERAMONE EM-

Does your blatant disrespect know no bounds? Midoryia was _clearly_ having a conversation with that young woman! Midoriya-san! My name is Tenya Iida, and I have completely misjudged you! Your willingness to put yourself in the line of fire for others, including myself, is commendable! Your intelligence is superb as well, for figuring out the true purpose of the exam! Please do forgive my earlier rudeness!"

Iida gave a steep, admittedly impressive bow, while Bakugou only scoffed at his theatrics. Ashido looked amused and ready to try again at a conversation, but before she could, a giant, yellow, caterpillar materialized seemingly out of nowhere on the classroom floor, just infront of the desks. A voice, full of uninterested gravel with a hint of sleep deprivation, made itself known to the class.

"If you're here to socialize, you should just leave now and save us the trouble."

The caterpillar unzipped itself and drank from a juice pouch before getting up, his face obscured by ragged hair. The scruffy, almost homeless looking man, dressed in all black with the exception of his grey scarves spoke again.

"I am Shota Aizawa, your homeroom teacher. You students should _really_ be more logical. Every second in this school will count towards making you heroes, but I already feel I'll be busy filling out _expulsion_ forms...guess I should find out what you are all capable of first though, hm? Put these on and meet me outside, I'll write directions on the board. If any of you can't even follow these directions, don't bother showing up tomorrow."

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxX

"I'm happy to see none of you failed to follow simple directions. Let's get on with the tests. You all took physical assessments before, but they prohibited the use of a quirk whenever possible..."

Aizawa took an obvious look at Izuku, his arms a clear indicator that he would not be a good example.

"I find this rhetoric illogical in a hero setting, so you are all permitted to use your quirks for these tests..."

Before the inevitable explosion of unneeded noise from the students could surface itself, he made his desicion.

"Katsuki Bakugou, you placed second in the physical entrance exam. Step up. How far could you throw in your last physical assessment?"

"Hmpf. 65 meters."

"Try it again, with your quirk."

Katsuki flashed a grin. Something he had learned from a young age was that by making a strong impression early on, you reduce the amount of bullshit you deal with from other people by about 80 percent. This was his chance to make an impression, and show the entire class just who the fuck was in charge. Warming up his form, he threw the ball as hard as he could, adding the biggest explosion possible onto the ball.

"DIE!"

 _Did he just say...die?_

The ball was rocketed foward, landing barely in one piece after several seconds of flight. A number appeared on the device Aizawa held, who showed it to the entire class. 705 meters. The class erupted in a mixture of gasps, cheers, and muttering, although the muttering could only be attributed to one person. What caught Aizawa's eye however, was a certain phrase said by a certain, pink skinned girl.

"This is gonna be fun!"

"Fun, huh?"

Ths members of class 1-A shut their mouths quickly, creating an exponentially decreasing volume of noise. A bitter chill bit at the student's spines as they spotted a _disturbing_ smile on their teacher's face. Something very bad was about it happen.

"Being a hero is _not_ fun. People's lives are at stake, especially your own. If you're going to treat it like a game, you have no future in heroics. However, I recognize the importance of games when it comes to _children_ , so let's play one game. Right now. Whoever places last in these physical assessments, will be judged unworthy, as having zero potential, and will be _expelled._ "

The class was silent as the grave, before it exploded into noise again.

"THIS IS INSANE", exclaimed a stocky, thick lipped teenager.

"This seems...a little too much for the first day of instruction", remarked a tall girl, one of the reccomend students if he recalled correctly.

"I just _had_ to open my big, fat, mouth", whined a girl with too many physical alterations to mention.

"This doesn't seem fair", stupidly complained a girl with short brown hair. Aizawa decided to shut this notion down, lest it be expected out of hero life ever again.

"Natural disasters, human stupidity, and suicidal villains who intend to take as many with them as they can before they are subdued. None of these events can be described as _fair_ to the people who had wanted nothing to do with it, but that's how it is. As heroes, your duty is to overcome unfair situations and ensure the best possible outcome to society as a whole. Fairness will _never_ be guaranteed, but you will prevail regardless. _That_ , is the meaning of Plus Ultra. So go, show me you are worthy to be taught..."

The 50 meter dash was first.

There were many things Izuku couldn't help but notice during Aizawa's instructions and general terror he inflicted on the class. One of which was just how many glances were being passed his way. He couldn't help but feel self conscious about his arms, the circuit infused appendages had gotten him some odd looks before, but nothing as bad as _this_. Were they expecting him to do some kind of trick? Maybe they were worried about the Arm Blades which could never really be removed, as his internal systems simply replaced them over the course of an hour. Why were they only staring at _him?_ There was a kid with six arms for crying out loud! As well as someone with pink skin, horns, and...

He glanced at Mina, who was lost in her own thoughts. A sudden restlessness gnawed at his mind, she wasn't at risk of failing, was she? Her quirk wasn't exactly suited for physical assessments, but she was pretty quick to catch him before he'd fallen on the pavement, decently strong too. Was she also flexible? That would likely be an important factor to consider...

"Midoriya."

Wait, how long had he been staring again?

"This is not the first time I have expelled someone who placed first in the physical entrance exam, and I highly doubt it'll be the last. Get. Moving."

"S-Sorry Aizawa-sensei."

Some snickers and mumbling were came from the crowd, and unfortunately, Izuku had better ears than most.

"He got a thing for that pink girl?"

"How the hell did _he_ get in first?"

"He's like a lost kitten..."

"Isn't my hair _magnifique?_ "

"Uh, sure dude."

Taking in a deep breath, Izuku set up at the starting line. He really had no reason to worry. Physical assessment is something he has always been great at due to his quirk, he is completely in his element and should act like it. A hero should be seen as confident, dependable. Assertive. Maybe even a little social.

 _Be assertive. Like Kacchan. Like Mina._ _My future depends on today!_

The slightly adorable robot sounded off, and both boys at the starting line took off in a blur of speed. Izuku bursted ahead, but Iida overtook him almost immediately, and finished with an impressive time of 3.04 seconds, whereas the enhanced legs of the aug could carry him in the still-impressive time of 3.42 seconds.

 _Damn! I knew he was fast but that time is insane!_

Then a tall girl with raven hair, Momo Yaoyorozu undid her gym uniform and _pulled a fully functioning motorcycle out of her torso_ , riding it to the finish line. It was deemed acceptable by Aizawa.

The two boys' minds were running with questions...

The grip strength test was right up Izuku's alley, but as it turned out, the 6 armed student Mezo Shoji was incredibly strong, easily dwarfing every other student aside from Izuku and the stocky, thick lipped Rikido Sato, who had impressive scores of their own.

 _Those arms are way stronger than they should be! Maybe his quirk is more than just extra arms..._

The side step test was also competently completed by the cyborg, although a small student with strange hair, Minoru Mineta, dominated the field with an admittedly creative use of his own quirk, before vomiting on the ground immediately after.

 _That's what victory looks like, I guess._

The standing long jump's main contenders were Izuku, Tsuyu, and that weird french dude, Ayoma. Though they were ultimately surpassed by Bakugou, who used his explosions to essentially fly as far as possible before landing, screaming explosive expletives the whole way.

 _Tsk, always a flare for the dramatic, Kacchan._

By far the most impressive thing, however, was a certain plain-looking girl's softball throw, at an unbeatable record of _Infinity_. The entire class stared in awe at Ochako Uraraka.

 _Her quirk must be physics based, nobody can be that strong! Well...maybe one. Maybe..._

The sit-up test was not remarkable, but Izuku found himself lagging behind in the seated toe touch test. Who knew having your tendons and soft tissues replaced with something a little more durable would sacrifice flexibility?

Mina, on the other hand, found her place to shine. Showing an impressive performance of flexibility, she easily ranked first, with Tsuyu and a friendly looking student with a tail, Mashirao Ojiro in hot pursuit. Izuku was mortified at how _easily_ she bended herself to an impossible angle.

"J-Jeez Ashido-san, you some kinda contortionist or something?

Mina glanced up at the familiar voice, a smile already taken residence on her bright face.

"Nah, I mean yeah, sorta. I've been practicing my flexibility for awhile now, but a side benefit of my acid is that my skin can be _moist_ and _smooth_ whenever I want it to be, which helps me get a few extra inches in."

Izuku nearly responded, but heard snickers and quiet giggling from two boys already finished, Mineta and someone who's hair could only be described as "lightning-ee", Denki Kaminari. One of them whispered something incredibly quietly, but of course, Izuku was just in range for his enhanced eardrums to pick up the speech perfectly.

"Oh I bet it does."

More quiet laughter from the two rowdy boys, and the topic of what they were addressing hit Izuku like a Detroit Smash. He blushed immediately at the realization and tried to form a coherent response, but it was too late, Mina saw his blushed up face and went over what she said.

" _A few extra inches in..._ , they both thought at once.

Mina's face erupted in a storm of lilac at the perverse image she likely placed in his head, but the storm _mostly_ faded when she realized just how damn funny it was that _Izuku_ of all people would reach that conclusion.

"Huh, Izuku, didn't realize you were _that_ type of guy. You think like that with _every_ girl or should I be worried?", half-questioned Mina with a perfectly executed wiggle of her eyebrows, a smirk plastered over her face. Unfortunately, she never got a concise answer as Izuku malfunctioned and covered his face with his steely hands.

"I s-s-swear I'm n-not..."

Mina responded with her usual bubbly laughter whenever she successfully turned the social heat up on the Midoriya Oven, happy to turn an awkward situation into a funny one. Izuku dared a look at her and just smiled, his head doing its best to mimic a tomato. The frog like girl, Tsuyu, chose this as an opportune time to get to know her classmates a little more.

"You two seem close, are you guys related, kero?"

Izuku looked up, the embarrassesment dissipating from his brain and eager to talk about Mina in a non-terrifying way.

"Ah, no we're not related, what makes you think that?"

"The eyes, of course."

Mina and Izuku paused, before looking at each other. Their eyes _were_ similar. Mina's eye color was closer to yellow, while Izuku's was more golden, but aside from that, there was no difference in their eyes. It was an entirely fair assumption to think they were related, even despite the multiple other physical abnormalities they both possessed. Izuku stared into Mina's eyes, losing himself yet again in their supernova splendor.

"Is Midoriya alright?"

"Hm? Oh he does that all the time, no worries. I'm just glad _someone_ can appreciate my eyes."

"It seems a little disturbing."

"Izuku? Disturbing? Nah he's such an innocent dork softie. He just doesn't know how to talk to _pretty girls_."

Izuku remained entranced, occasionally muttering some phrases about space or something.

"See? He can't resist them. You do know what he did for me in the entrance exam right? Izuku is the _coolest cyborg_ you'll ever meet! Alright, so basically..."

Their homeroom teacher, Shota Aizawa, chose this as an opportune moment to move things along.

"You're going to have to regale the class on Midoryia's heroics later, because it is time for the long distance run. Everyone line up and get ready."

"O-Oh, sure thing Aizawa-sensei."

Truth be told, Mina did not like the homeroom teacher. He gave off this aura of indifference and uncertainty, like he would, say, expel someone from the most prestigious hero establishment in Japan at the drop of a hat, and not even recognize the kid he expelled the next day if he saw him at the grocery. It was unfriendly, unnecessary, and just not very cool. She always imagined their teachers to be the most inspirational, wonderful, entertaining figures they'd meet, yet Aizawa was _worse_ than their previous teachers by a long shot.

"Go!", announced an _adorable_ little robot, and so the students competed for their futures with all their might, as this was the last test before someone received some _very_ bad news. Iida and Izuku were in the lead, no surprise there, while Mina herself was in the top 5. Izuku let himself dwell on the situation.

 _Iida is incredibly fast, but he can't run as long as I can. I doubt anyone can run as long as I can. It'll take hours before I even begin to feel fatigue from just sprinting. I should place first...wait, is he speeding up?_

Iida smiled. Midoriya probably thought he was going at his top speed during the 50 meter dash, but 50 meters is only enough distance for him to reach 3rd gear. Now he had an even greater advantage in terms of speed, although he would require himself to focus on his breathing technique. If Midoriya saving Ashido the way he did after he destroyed the robots that incapacitated him was to be taken into account, it was not likely he would slow down from his current speed at all. His energy levels seemed limitless.

Iida proved right in his train of thought, and finished the race first, while Izuku placed second. He turned towards the boy to offer words of praise, but was beaten to the punch by the very same boy.

"Wow Iida I didn't know you were so fast! I thought I'd be able to outrun you but I'll obviously need more distance than this at the speed you're going!"

Iida looked at the boy, who had no visible strain or fatigue from the intense sprinting. He smiled again, something about Izuku was so _honorable_ and _earnest_ , and just radiated sportsmanship. It reminded him that, despite technically competing against each other, they both seeked to become heroes, striving to become paragons of justice, order, and a better world.

"I found your stamina just as impressive, Midoriya-san. You did not slow down once. I have truely never seen someone so consistent in their form, physically and mentally. I am assured you will become a great hero!"

 _You will become a great hero..._

Soon after everyone finished the last test, Aizawa called out the students from a clipboard starting with...

"1st Place, Izuku Midoriya."

The class grumbled and murmured, but Mina and Iida simply gave smiles and nods of approval respectively, happy for the success of their fellow student. Izuku did his best to stay calm, collected, and not make eye contact with anyone other than Mina and his newfound friend, Iida.

"Midoriya did not place first in ANY of the tests, however his physical versatility, aside from his below average flexibility, allowed him to outrank most of you in every single test. He was consistently above average. You all understand? The best pro heroes are not one-trick ponies, and must be adaptable to every possible circumstance. On that note, Midoriya, I will _personally_ ensure your flexibility does not become an issue in the field. Be prepared."

The same, disheartening chill ran down his spine when Aizawa spoke directly towards him.

"O-Of course, Aizawa-sensei."

"Oh right, nearly forgot. Nobody is being expelled. It was a rational deception, meant to bring out your best efforts."

Aizawa covered his ears preemptively, before the class exploded into a mixture of noise, chaos, and varying states of emotional distress. A short, purple headed student seemed ready to faint apon hearing the words.

"HE WAS JUST SCREWING AROUND THE WHOLE TIME?!?"

"A certainly unorthodox method of teaching..."

"He lied to us just so we were sure to try our very best? That's actually kind of manly!"

"Of course it was a ruse, he would not expel one of us on the very first day, it was too reminiscent of a fear tactic."

"I wouldn't say that, Yao-momo, I heard he expelled his entire class last year!"

"That was kinda scary, wasn't it Izuku? The _good_ kind of scary though, where the monster is creeping up on the good guy but she can't see it! It really gets the blood pumping, or in your case...coolant?"

"It's _not_ _coolant_ , Ashido-kun. I have blood too", nearly whined Izuku.

"Pffft! What's with that tone?"

"I don't _have_ a tone."

"Right, surrrrrre."

Izuku just sighed, feeling slightly irked at the robot jokes Mina just loved to make. He knew it was all in good sport but...he would get her back. Soon. Some day. Maybe.

"Well, your tests are done and I hope you've all learned a valuable lesson, because I have no intention of repeating myself. Change back into your uniforms and prepare for your classes, this is a school, after all."

And so Izuku, Iida, and Mina walked back towards the school, carrying with them the important knowledge they had learned.

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxX

 **Author's Notes:** This chapter was painful.

Sick on finals week and beyond, yep.

Putting Augmented Izuku's strength into raw numbers was difficult, so I put some buddy buddy moments in there with Iida and Mina to flesh things out. Next chapter we shall be heading into some battle. I did not actually intend to put this chapter out on Christmas, it just snuck up on me, so I'm a day late. Thing is though, mf INFINITY WAR is out on Netflix so I watched that a few times, plus spending time with folks in general.

When I finally sat myself down and said "Ok, you had your fun, but now it's time to finish this.", I got about one paragraph in before watching all of the cutscenes for Metal Gear Solid 3, and now I want to make a Naked Snake Izuku, complete with some kinda stealth related quirk, or situational quirk, plus some cool CqC action. Point is, I'm hopeless, hope you enjoyed this chapter.


	7. Circuited Neurons

It was the second day for the students of the esteemed high school, and Izuku was filled to the brim with anticipation. The mechanical teen had spent most of his night going over his memory database, analyzing his classmates various quirks and theorizing their potential applications.

 _Mina took her shoes off and_ _used her acid to "ice skate" in the 50 meter dash, genius!_

 _That "Yao-Momo" girl created more than just a motorcycle, but nothing as complex or useful. Her quirk probably takes a lot out of her._

 _That stocky guy, Sato, is way stronger than he should be, and didn't seem to tire out either. He did look kinda...dull though. Maybe his quirk is some kind of trade-off?_

 _There was a girl there who was invisible, it must be a mutation type since she never turned it off. Close quarters combat_ _against her must be a pain, even if she was on the lower end of the scoreboard. How did she even destroy the robots? Maybe there's a button on them that turns them off. I wonder if I could "see" her with my thermal sight...wait...that wouldn't be rude, would it?_

 _I have to ask Ochako "Infinity Girl" Uraraka about her quirk, I don't think its super strength, but the results speak for themselves..._

When Izuku arrived at the homeroom of 1-A, he was immediately bombarded with _noise._

"DUDE, THE WAY YOU USED YOUR CRYSTAL ARMOR TO STARE DOWN THAT GIANT ROBOT WAS MANLY AS _HELL_ , WE SHOULD BE TANK BUDDIES!", loudly exclaimed a redheaded boy with spiky hair.

"YOU HAVE ENOUGH GUY FRIENDS KIRISHIMA, HE'S GONNA BE MY STEALTH BUDDY, THE WAY HE TURNED INVISIBLE AND _SLICED_ THOSE ROBOTS WAS SOOOO COOOOL~", ironically screamed the invisible girl with the stealth quirk.

"NAH LEAVE EM, HAGAKURE.", said the stocky, thick lipped Sato, who captured Izuku in an almost bloodthirsty gaze, but gave off a benevolent smile immediately after.

"Midoriya, dude, you're really strong! You should join Shoji and I for some friendly arm wrestling.", he gestured to the tall, 6 armed, masked teen, who only gave a simple nod of affirmation.

Ojiro, the tailed martial artist, offered a friendly nod and spoke in a cool, composed tone. "Midoriya, despite your mediocre flexibility, your use of reflexes against multiple opponents is astonishing. We should train together sometime."

Katsuki Bakugou decided it was his turn to speak.

"OI! NONE OF YOU EXTRAS SHOULD BE THINKING ABOUT MAKING FRIENDS WITH _MY_ TRAINING PARTNER, HE SPENDS HIS TIME PRACTICING WITH ME BECAUSE I'M THE BEST, AND BECAUSE HE TRAINS WITH ME, HE'S THE SECOND BEST, SO NONE OF YOU FUTURE DROPOUTS EVEN THINK ABOUT WASTING HIS TIME!"

Unfortunately, this was not middle school.

"Jeez, why are you so mean to everyone?", asked the infinity girl, Uraraka.

"Yeah, your personality is like someone tossed sewage, rotten fish, and ants into a blender and turned it on high!", viciously uttered a girl with purple hair and odd ear extensions.

"Even All Might, with due respect to his considerable power, knows how to cooperate with his fellows when the situation demands it! I doubt anyone would want to be on patrol with you!", honestly remarked Iida.

Izuku, of course, was bewildered and caught off guard by the massive influx of attention and general chaos. They were talking about the entrance exam as if they were there, but only 4 people in the room knew what happened, and only himself knew the entire story. Iida and the blond french guy, Ayoma, wouldn't have possibly...

 _Mina._

The aforementioned girl had been giving a sly smile, bordering a smirk, towards Izuku the whole time. Naturally, she would've been the one to "regale the class of his heroics", she must've shown them a video that the judges took of his progress during the exam, as they do for every contestant who attempts to enter Yuuei. He returned a weak, exhausted smile, and rolled his eyes, nearly walking to his seat behind Kacchan before realizing something important.

 _I never said "thank you" for her medical advice while I was hospitalized. My recovery might've been more complicated if she didn't head over and open those blinds fully to let in sunlight and restore my energy reserves...I was out for an entire day as well, but she was there when I woke up. She wasn't there the entire time was she?_

"Hey, Ashido-kun?"

"Yessssss, Izuku?"

"I just wanted to say thanks for telling that old lady about my quirk...being exposed to sunlight really helped me get my energy back and I didn't even realize just how... _thoughtful_ that was of you to do in the moment, so thank you."

Mina just stared at him, mouth slightly agape. Izuku Midoriya, the augmented hero, who had stared down a giant killer robot and nearly died just to save her, was _thanking her_ , for simply giving the old lady, whom was actually the hero Recovery Girl, a tip about his quirk. He didn't come expecting a thank you, he was here to give thanks. _What the hell._ Following basic emotion, Mina stood up and responded with a firm hug. Izuku's face reddened, and the class was probably staring at them, but to hell with it. He needed to know what his simple, humble gesture meant to her.

"You're an ideal hero, Izuku, dont ever change."

"O-Oh t-thanks Ash-"

"Mina. We're best friends now, so you call me Mina."

"S-Sure thing...Mina."

Mina kept her hold on the boy and examined his face. Aside from his eyes and those thinly etched, nearly unnoticeable lines that ran across his face, he really did look plain. His reddened blush at her close contact brought out his freckles in an aesthetically polished way, as if his face was crafted to be as simple and pleasing as posible.

They both smiled at each other, before realizing that the class was quiet. Not as quiet as when Aizawa was in the room, but quiet, nonetheless. They had an audience. Mina let the poor boy go, making it a point to keep her smile up, now tinged with hues of lilac and violet, until he couldn't see her face. Neither of them dared look at anyone as they returned to their seats, Izuku flat out covering his uncomfortably warm face with his cool hands.

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxX

As it turned out, despite being the top tier hero school in Japan, Yuuei was still more a school than it was anything else. They had ordinary classes, with extraordinary teachers. English was taught by Present Mic, the voice hero, who was unsurprisingly fluent in every sense of the word. Modern Art History was taught by the R-Rated hero Midnight, which made for some _very_ personal and uneasy discussion about the student's opinions. Cementoss taught Literature, Ectoplasm taught Mathematics, and Izuku nearly fainted apon seeing every single one of them. Even lunch was occupied by the hero Lunch Rush, who served incredibly delicious food at speeds unsurpassed. Izuku sat at a lunch table with his close friends Iida and Mina with their close friends Ochako and Hagakure respectively. Kacchan was also there, offering scowls to anyone who looked at him. To Izuku, the second day at Yuuei High was one of the best in his lives, but he couldn't have possibly been prepared for what awaited him in his final class.

 **"I AM... "**

 _OH MY GOD IT'S ALL MIGHT!_

 **"COMING THROUGH THE DOOR LIKE A HERO!"**

The titanic symbol of peace dashed through the door, in the precise fashion he claimed to, gasps emanating from the students in the classroom paired alongside excited muttering. All Might took dramatic, slow steps towards the front of the classroom, giving the students time to take the situation in.

"He really IS a teacher!"

"That's his Silver Age costume!"

"Such an iconic style!"

"All MIGHT ohmygod ohmygod ohmygod..."

 **"I am All Might, and I teach hero basic training! In this class, you will discover what it means to be a hero! Let's get into it. Today you will learn...COMBAT TRAINING!"**

"HELL YEAH!", a brash, aggressive voice lashed out to all, belonging to one class firecracker Katsuki Bakugou.

 **"First off, you will receive THESE!"**

Several panels were pulled from the wall, each with a number corresponding to the students.

 **"Your hero costumes! Created based off of your quirk registrations and personal requests sent in before school began! Change into these, and join me in Ground Beta, young students."**

At Ground Beta, Izuku saw many different costumes. Knights in shining armor, a bloodthirsty bomber, and _far_ more skin than he was expecting from the girl who could create virtually anything. The rich variety in costumes reminded him how different they all were, despite their shared goal of becoming heroes. What struck him the most however, was the literally _frosty_ aura flowing off a certain boy with a seemingly thick layer of ice covering half his body, his eye incased in some kind of goggle beneath the eye, making it appear a robotic glowing red.

 _Wow...and I thought that bird guy was edgy_ , _although I guess I can't really judge him myself..._

Izuku's costume request was designed to be practical, but still somewhat recognizable. A pair of simple black combat boots, with minor modifications designed to make his footsteps less prominent. Despite not being as heavy as a tank, Izuku was still heavier than the average adult male, and his invisibility would not be as useful if enemies could hear him coming. Black cargo pants, with additional pouches strapped to the sides to carry basic medical equipment and other small miscellaneous gear he may pick up in the field. He may not have had any _legitimate_ medical experience, but that has not stopped him from photographically memorizing every single video and guidebook he could on the subject, in the hopes that it would one day be useful. His chest was covered by a custom lightweight vest, its intricate weaving encompassing his entire torso. It's purpose was to offer basic protection from blunt force trauma, while remaining light enough to not negate the stealth modifications to his boots. His arms and face were left completely exposed, to complete his iconic look as the "Number 1 Augmented Hero". He had thought about putting on some shades to look like a spy or agent of some sort, but that just seemed over the top. He hadn't been expecting his costume to look so _dark_ and _military_ though. Hopefully nobody would tease him for it.

"Oh. My. God. IZUKU."

 _Goddamnit._

"YOU LOOK LIKE A BADASS!"

 _Ahsganajhsbandhsh..._

Mina was there, giving her best smile to her best friend, with Iida and the red haired boy, Kirishima, in tow.

"Midoriya-kun, I admire the practicality of your costume, having space to carry gear into the field is obvious evidence of your tactical prowess."

"Dude your costume is manly as hell, you should totally lose the vest though, and grace those you rescued with some rockin' robo abs!"

Izuku reddened again for what was the seventh time that day before responding.

"W-Well a-actually my chest isn't as augmented as my arms and legs are, s-so it's actually a weaker point for me, so the vest really heLPS!"

Kirishima just kept up his smile and nodded, while Mina relieved the tension in her own, Mina way.

"Those costume designers are really good, if they made someone as dorky looking as you look cool!"

The group laughed at her teasing, even Iida suppressing a grin.

All Might smiled even brighter at the conversation he may have accidentally eavesdropped on, taking no shame in doing so. He remembered his first encounter with the boy, willing to go through the wetwork of cleaning up a villain. Not afraid to do an unglamorous job just to make it even slightly easier for the number 1 hero. A humbleness that evidenced his desire to help others, no ulterior motive at place, and it seemed to have resulted in him forming a friendship with young Ashido. Whenever she interacted with young Midoriya, he always seemed to have a smile on his face. Their spirits shined the most bright amongst their classmates.

 _That's right, young man. Always a smile._ _You will serve as an inspiration to those who follow you, and show those you face that you are unyielding._

Seeing that all students are accounted for, All Might explained the combat exercise. Each student was placed in a group of two, and each group would be engaged in combat against another group in an indoor building, taking on the roles of infiltrating the building as heroes, or defending a nuclear weapon as villains. The goal being to familiarize the students with quirk usage in a combative setting, as well as take into account their enemy's quirks.

The first group consisted of Izuku and Mina, much to their delightment, while the heroes in the exercise were Todoroki, the icy student with the scar, and...Bakugou.

 **"Villain team, you have 15 minutes to familiarize yourself with the building, and the hero team will be using that time to plan their infiltration. The heroes' goal is to capture the weapon by touching it, and the villains' goal is to hold them off until the timer runs out. Both teams may also incapacitate each other via capture tape to achieve victory. Begin preparation phase!"**

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxX

"So this is it, huh?", Mina knocked on the "nuclear weapon" a few times. A crinkle and a few pops reverberated off the enclosed walls.

"Pretty realistic for paper...Izu?"

"Yes, Mina?"

"You got a plan or something? Cause I have _no idea_ how I'm gonna beat Bakugou. I looked at his entrance exam video after looking at yours and..."

"He's something, isn't he? Don't worry Mina, I can hold him off. Who I'm worried about is Todoroki. I know he can create ice, and he is also a reccomended student, so he's probably very capable. If he's really strong, he could freeze us in place the moment he sees us. He might also make...I dont know...ice stairs up to one of the windows and get in without me hearing.."

Mina burst out in hysterical laughter, breaking Izuku's concentration and spreading red across his face when he realized she was laughing _at_ him.

" _Ice stairs_ , Izuku? GOD, you are too much sometimes!"

"I-it's a very real possibility! He might do it!"

Mina continued her onslaught of embarrassment towards her best friend, before finally catching her breath.

"Izu, you're a riot."

"I...I think I got it!"

"Huh?"

"I have a plan!"

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxX

Katsuki Bakugou and Shoto Todoroki were outside the building, looking over the schematics of the indoor area. Not a single word had been exchanged since they met up. Bakugou decided to make something crystal clear.

"Icebrain, listen up."

Todoroki chose not dignify him with a response.

"Deku, the damn robot kid in black? He's mine. Your ice powers wont be enough to hold him, and he's fast enough to put you down. I'm the _only_ one who can beat him, understand? Me, yes. You, no. You can freeze the pink bitch all you want, just stay out of my way or we lose."

The response was cold and monotone.

"You seem to hold him in high regard, yet you call him _Useless_."

Katsuki did _not_ like that.

"Its none of your _fucking business_ why I call him that."

All Might spoke up on their communication devices, speaking to the hero team as well as the villain team.

 **"One minute until the hero team begins their infiltration, prepare yourselves, students!"**

The hero team shifted, one full of fire and ready to affirm his dominance over his rival and training partner, the other's veins filled with ice, ready to freeze everything inside, and touch a fake weapon.

"Oh, and one more thing."

Todoroki looked at his partner, the voice composed and collected compared to his previous angry tone.

"He can turn invisible."

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxX

Izuku smiled to himself. The plan as simple, but effective. Using his invisibility and enhanced hearing, he would get an early attack on Todoroki, the unknown factor of their enemies, and use the capture tape to end the fight before it began. With him out of the way, Katsuki would engage him immediately, to which he would hold him off as long as he could with his crystalline armor. He would lead him around a corner, and Mina would use her acid to destroy those gauntlets of his from a safe distance. If Izuku knew Kacchan, and he very much believed he did, those grenade shaped pieces of armor around his arms were _not_ armor, but some kind of offensive tool instead. With the gauntlets destroyed, it would be a simple 2v1 fight against the hero.

What Izuku did not consider is that while planning is indispensable, plans themselves are worthless.

Izuku and Mina creeped down the stairs and dimly lit hallways, using Izuku's memory, eyesight, and hearing to guide them down and choose an appropriate ambush point. He figured Kacchan would be making some kind of noise, sprinting to defeat him as soon as possible, but he heard only soft footsteps. One pair of soft footsteps, not two. He signaled for Mina to stay behind.

"Good luck Izu!"

"Thanks, be ready for Bakugou..."

Izuku felt a chill in the air and noticable increase in sound. They were very close. Activating his thermal vision, he looked through a corner, into the hallway. Two bodies were walking, one significantly colder than the other.

 _That must be Todoroki, his quirk naturally giving him a lower body temperature...but how is Kacchan being so quiet? He is the least stealthy person I've ever known. Something is wrong here.._. _I see two, but only hear one..._

Activating his invisibility cloak, Izuku crept around the corner and pressed up against the wall, but Kacchan was nowhere to be seen...

 _Focus Izuku, he's right there!_

The cold intensified as Todoroki approached him, and Izuku wondered just how much cold the human body could take, before he finally passed him in the narrow hallway...his back turned to a smiling, unseen Izuku. All he had to do was wrap the capture tape around his hands, and he wouldn't have even been able to react.

"You're pretty warm, you know.", commented the unsurprised Ice user.

Todoroki immediately lashed his right hand towards Izuku, the close range providing no means of rebuttal for the augmented hero in training. He became completely incased in ice. Heavy footsteps and a guttural cry were heard from a few floors down.

"DEKU! I'M GONNA MAKE YOUR SORRY ASS REGRET EVER SURPASSING MY SCORE! GET AWAY FROM HIM, FREEZERBURN!"

"Sure thing."

Todoroki applied a few more layers of ice to Izuku to hold him steady, before leaving him behind and putting up an ice wall between them. While his entrapment was taking place, Izuku noticed a very interesting detail...

 _Only the right side of his body is cold! The left side is very warm, even with that ice suit! He looked like two people while I was using my thermals._ _There must be more to his quirk than just ice._

Once Todoroki's footsteps became little more than vibrations, Izuku strained his artifical muscle and broke through the thick tomb of ice he was incased in, sending shards of frozen water flying everywhere. He spoke to Mina using his communication device given to everyone by All Might.

"MINA! Todoroki got past me and is heading for the weapon! I gotta deal with Kacchan, so retreat and go for plan B instead, just slow him down as much as you can!"

"Oh damn Izu! Anything I should know?"

"Uh...dont let him see you..."

"Got it!"

Izuku delivered a heavy punch to the ice wall, destroying it. However, it appeared there was no time to follow, as a certain someone has caught up. He activated his crystalline armor just in time to take a brutal explosion to the side of his head. Even with the armor, his vision momentarily slurred and lagged from the fierce blow.

He turned his attention to Kacchan, taking in his costume and bloodlusted expression. Everything about him screamed _violence_. In this case, he was seeking it out.

"Alright, _Deku_ , let's fucking do this."

Izuku narrowed his gaze, every literal fiber of his being swarmed in determination.

"No holding back, _Kacchan_ , let's go."

 **Combat Assessment** **: Complete**

 **Threat: High**

 **"Kacchan" prefers brute force over technique, but is capable of both to defeat user. Explosion quirk provides massive offensive potential and mobility. Is aware of your preferred combat techniques from various past training sessions. Vulnerable to Arm Blades, but user will not employ lethal tactics. Capable of gradually breaking through Crystalline Armor. Will fire explosions indiscriminately if Invisibility Cloak is used. Activation of Pheromone Emitter will cause momentary hesitation or enrage him.** **Reccomended course of action:** **Retreat and assist Mina against Todoroki.**

 _I...should run away?_

Something about that did _not_ sit right with Izuku. They were training to be heroes weren't they? Heroes beat the villains. Or in this case, villains beat the heroes. He remembered All Might, his overwhelming tsunami of power being able to defeat a villain that Izuku barely fought back against, _without even technically touching him._ It was the hurricane force winds that came from the sheer force of his punch that put that villain in prison. All Might was the epitome of power, and he wants to be JUST like him. So why, why why WHY, was his base instinct to run away? He's fought him before, even won a few times. All Might _himself_ said that he could be the new number 1 so why...

 _All Might..._

Their confrontation on the rooftop nearly a year ago played back, and Izuku Midoriya remembered All Might in a way very few could, his true form sending shivers down his spine. His hollow face, sickly thin frame, skeletal arms, and weakening voice, his own blood leaking from his mouth because he was _dying and nothing could save him._ _His injury from years before is killing him._

Yet All Might still fought on, not because there were villains to be fought, but because there were people who needed help. Because someone needed to do the unglamorous wetwork of heroism, because heroism is not about fighting villains. It's about what serves society the most, and right now, it was that weapon.

Izuku focused intently, Kacchan coming at him with a explosion propelled kick, but he saw right through it, because just as his friend knew him, he knew his friend. He never opens with a kick.

Switching to a frenzied haymaker at the last second, Kacchan put all his force into his right arm, only to have it ducked under and receive an almost cruel punch to the gut, nearly vomiting from its impact. The punch, however, was not nearly as cruel as what happened next. Izuku pulled something from a pouch on his leg, and sounds of shattered glass were heard, along with a dripping liquid.

"I'm sorry Kacchan, but this isn't _our_ training. I can't just fight you because you're here..a real hero _focuses on the objective!_ "

Deku smacked him across the face, gripping his brow to get the vile liquid in his eyes and _jesus fuck did that burn._ _An insurance policy from the pink bitch._ _Fucking Deku._ That was fine though, perfectly fine, he had an insurance policy of his own. He still heard his footsteps, he couldn't possibly be far. Extending his arm in Deku's direction, Bakugou rested his fingers on the pin of the grenade shaped gauntlet.

 **"Young Bakugou, I know you are angry, but a hero cannot let their emotions cause harm to innocents. If you pull that pin, the building is at risk of collapse. It will not even be a confirmed strike, you cannot see your enemy. That weapon is simply not suitable for indoor use."**

Furious silence was all that remained as Izuku Midoriya rushed up the stairs, not just to defeat an opponent or just to help a friend, but to follow the objective, and stop Todoroki from touching that bomb.

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxX

 _Well, shit._

Mina had done all she could think of to slow the immensely powerful ice user Todoroki. He has flash frozen the surrounding area a few times, but her reflexes and acrobatic ability allowed her to evade the sudden blitzkriegs of cold. She threw acid at him as he rounded a corner, he reacts crazy fast and throws up an ice wall. She covers the floor in acid to slow him down, dude makes an ice bridge over the acid and keeps on moving. She uses her acid skate technique to ambush him and get a good punch in, he recovers _immediately_ and freezes the entire hallway at once, her with it.

 _An ice bridge. Not ice stairs. An ice BRIDGE. Izu I'm gonna kick your ass if I don't freeze to death first! How is this guy so powerful? If that stuff melted it'd be a literal ocean...there's only one thing left to do now...and I'm not exactly proud of it..._

"Your acid can't get through the ice fast enough for you to stop me, and your partner has been taken care of by Bakugou. Tell me where the weapon is so your recovery isn't as problematic.", attempted the cold, monotone hero.

"That's...very courteous of you, o great hero, you must be pretty popular with the ladies huh? So _dark_ and _brooding_ , why I'm sure there isn't a single soul who wouldn't consider you a catch...how about instead of all this bomb business you an-", Mina was, in her own opinion, _rudely interrupted_ , by a severe increase of cold as the hero placed his hand on her forehead, nearly knocking her unconscious from the low temperature.

"I don't have time for games, tell me where it is, or I will put you to sleep and find it myself."

"OKAY OKAY, I'LL TELL YOU! Man dude you really gotta... _chill_. Wait wait wait its a JOKE. Okay...okay. The bomb is..."

Mina let out an overdramatic sigh.

"The bomb is in room C. Raven..."

Todoroki paused, attempting to remember such a room on the blueprint, to no avail.

"C. Raven? Craven?"

 _I'm sorry Todoroki but...Omae wa mou shindeiru._

" _CRAVEN THESE NUTS, ICE BOY!_ "

Mina spit out as much as she could at the last few words, the acidic saliva she'd be discretely cultivating burning the inside of her mouth, but it was _so worth it_. The acid hit Todoroki directly in his face, getting in his eyes as well, causing the stoic ice cold enemy to lose his composure and be momentarily blinded.

As if fate itself was on her side, there came a familiar set of heavy footsteps rushing up the stairs, sprinting down various hallways, her partner in crime Izuku Midoriya rushed into the room.

"Mi-"

"IZU, HE'S BLIND!"

He reacted immediately, grabbing Todoroki's left arm and flipping him over his shoulder, quickly taking out the capture tape and tying up his hands.

 **"Shoto Todoroki has been incapacitated by the villain team!"**

Todoroki stiffened momentarily apon realization of defeat, then went limp on the floor, keeping his face a forced monotone expression. He couldn't help but feel more shocked than anything else. Every battle so far that wasn't against... _him_ , has been beatable, most of them barely taking any effort. Ashido had a higher willpower than he had expected, and Izuku threw him around like it was nothing. Bakugou must've failed then, but how? They were of similar speeds, yet it seemed Midoryia had plenty of time to rush up the building and defeat him... However, the exercise was not over, meaning...Bakugou was untied, and would be here soon...

"Mina are you alright? How long have you been in there? Can you feel your toes?"

"Y-Yes Izu I can feel my toes, t-thanks for the concern but could you maybe...?"

"Maybe what?", said the incredibly dense boy, who forgot he broke out of an ice tomb minutes prior.

"Izu for the love of -"

" _DEKU!"_

And then there were four.

Bakugou turned a corner and assessed the poor situation. His face was red and blotchy, and his eyes were nearly squinted shut from the irritant, but they were open enough. He looked ready to kill, as always.

 _Ice Brain taken out, Racoon Eyes 2.0 frozen, and fucking Deku ripe as rain. God, this shit in my eyes stings. Must've been some weak shit if I still have eyes though...didn't fuck up his hand at all._

Izuku assumed a combat stance, his eyes open, arms up, feet spread apart, and center of gravity lowered. He placed himself infront of Mina and walked steadily towards his opponent. In the dimly lit hallway, eyes glowing gold surrounded by void, arms a mixture of silver and black, some would consider this sight menacing, but not Kacchan.

 _How much time is left?_

 **4:37**

 _Okay. That's doable._

The two boys kept up the glaring contest, until Izuku took the initiative, dashing forward and swinging his fist towards Bakugou's chest, at a force _just_ below the threshold of breaking ribs. It should completely stun him, allowing for a capture tape takedown. Or it would've, if Izuku had actual experience being on the offensive with his longtime rival. He telegraphed he intentions so clearly, even with his speed, the explosive teen was able to react perfectly, sidestepping the blow and responding with a detonating _smack_ that would've made his mother proud. The Augmented Hero in training flew across the hallway, brutally flopping down the set of stairs on the other side. While he was flying, however, he stuck his arm out in what he hoped was the right direction, and he was right. His metallic limb hit Mina's ice tomb hard enough to weaken its structural integrity, giving her acid enough leeway against the prison.

The pinkette slid out from her bounds, limbs numbed and uncalibrated to their newfound freedom, and nearly collapsed. She looked up at Bakugou, his face twisted into a sadistic grin that expressed his intentions perfectly. He wasn't like Todoroki, who was icy and "just business", this was a very _real_ human with overflowing emotions of rage and bloodlust, who would legitimately _delight_ in hurting people, whether it was a villain or a rival. Right now, she felt like prey. His murderous gaze sent shivers down her spine. How the hell had Izuku fought this... _thing,_ every time and come back for more? The answer would elude her for today.

Bakugou raised both his hands towards her, popping and crackling sounds from his quirk echoing down the hallway, until an almost _invasive_ calmness invaded their minds. The explosion quirk user hesitated apon feeling...so much less than he had been feeling before. His normal tsunami of emotions faded to a mere trickle, but he knew _exactly_ who was the blame.

"MOVE!"

Izuku's voice rang out from the other side of the hallway, and Mina followed the request, no, the _warning_ , as if her life depended on it. She willed her numb legs to life and narrowly dodged the speeding human bullet that was Izuku Midoriya, before hitting the floor behind Bakugou as he let loose at his opponent.

"YOU'RE GONNA HAVE TO DO BETTER THAN SHITTY ASS PHERAMONES TO BEAT ME, DEKU! DEFEND AGAINST _THIS!_ "

Izuku activated his crystalline armor, its near invincible structure enveloping his entire body as all _hell broke loose._ Bakugou was putting everything he had into a series of channelled, continuous explosions from both his hands, utilising the confined hallway to ensure his offensive either blew Deku away so he could finish off Pink Bitch, or to prevent that _stupid_ _robo nerd from getting any closer_ _god fucking damnit._

Unfortunately, Deku wasn't blown away, that stupid ass armor of his was withstanding the storm, and he was getting closer. Slowly, step by step, with his arms raised infront of his face, he was advancing. Bakugou remembered when he was "quirkless", how he was just a pebble on the road, waiting to be kicked away. Now he was a _fucking mountain._ His arms strained and he could feel the muscle fibers coming apart, his quirk was nearing its limit as well yet...Deku stopped. Four feet away and he just fucking stopped.

 _He can't move further anymore._

Feeling victory within his grasp, Katsuki Bakugou let out a primal roar and redoubled his efforts, pushing through the pain and embracing his second wind. Izuku stayed in place, using every ounce of artificial muscle and natural human spirit to not be blown away. The stalemate continued between the two, a battle of pure will against will, and it seemed Deku's armor was unraveling at the seams...just a few more seconds of _agony_ and victory would be his.

While the two rivals were testing their wills against each other, Mina was on the floor, covering her ears and inching away from the middle of the now unbearably bright hallway. Bakugou's explosions created a tremendous force, heat, and noise, that even though she was _behind him_ , still made every instinct in Mina's body command her to just _get the hell away_...but she knew Izuku was there, withstanding the point blank eruption. His inky black silhouette was barely visible in the oppressive brightness, and he had stopped moving. It probably took everything in him just to stay in place and she...wasn't doing anything.

It was just like when he faced the 0-Pointer.

 _I won't let this happen again. I can't keep relying on him to save me from robots or ice dudes. We both deserve better than that. I am the pro hero "Alien Queen", and I will save YOU, Izuku!_

Struck by a burst of adrenaline, she got up, uncovered her ears and _immediately_ felt a ringing pain, but ignored it in favor of doing something she secretly really wanted to do, punching Katsuki Bakugou in the head as hard as she possibly could. His explosions ceased as he swayed side to side, before hitting the ground with a forceful _thud_. He was unconscious, and looked quite angry about it too. Izuku, on the other hand, could only wish he was unconscious. He nearly collapsed, leaning on the wall to support him, his breathing rapid and forced.

"M-Mina...the tape..."

She brought out the capture tape and wrapped it around Bakugou's... _oh god his hands..._

The gloves that once encased his hands were gone, unable to withstand the immense force of his rapid explosions. His hands were, if she put it politely, fucked up. The skin of his palms _wasn't there_ , and his knuckles looked as if they were forcefully stretched away from his wrists. The back of his hands were burned and gave off a putrid smell that none of the remaining three wanted to think about.

 _Ew. Gross. Oh god I think I touched..._

When his hands were tied, All Might formally announced their victory.

 **"Katsuki Bakugou has been incapacitated, the Villain team prevails over justice today!"**

"Mina."

Izuku raised his head, a tired, pained, but genuine smile on his face.

"We did it..."

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxX

Once Bakugou was sent to the infirmary and Mina, Izuku, and Todoroki made it back to the viewing room, All Might started his analysis and legitimate teaching to the students.

 **"This was a very good matchup and yielded excellent results by all. Todoroki's observational skills and quirk mastery put a wrench the villain's plans in the beginning. Bakugou's aggression and combat prowess was enough to almost win the match. Ashido's tactical usage of her quirk was excellent at stalling for time. Midoriya's judgement as well as endurance kept him in the game despite overwhelming odds.** **So, my students, who do you believe was the MVP of the match?**

A swarm of opinions, loud and quiet, but mostly loud, invaded the pro heroes' ears. One name it particular stood out though, and he couldn't say he was surprised.

"Dude, the way Midoriya just walked TOWARDS the explosions was the manliest thing I've EVER seen, it's him for sure."

"Midoriya's tactical prowess knows no bounds, using Ashido's acid to escape from Bakugou was an excellent decision!"

"That shoulder throw on Todoroki was perfectly executed..."

Todoroki remained silent, displaying a stoic indifference to Midoryia's praise.

 **"A worthy guess, but you are incorrect. The MVP of the match is Mina Ashido, anyone care to tell me why?"**

Momo Yaororozu spoke up, her tone dignified and alert.

"Ashido is the mvp because she stayed most true to the objective of the game, keeping the heroes away from the nuclear weapon. She provided her acid to Midoriya to even his odds, and when his plan failed, she stuck back and slowed down Todoroki considerably, buying Midoriya time to retreat and engage Todoroki himself. Even when she was ultimately defeated by Todoroki, she resisted his interrogation, as well as... _assisting_ in a takedown by Midoriya, in her own fashion. This allowed for them to engage Bakugou in a 2v1 scenario, which won them the game as he could not hold them both back at once."

For a moment there was a stunned silence at the detailed analysis that seemingly came off the top of her head, but gave way mutual agreement. All Might was impressed.

 _As expected from a reccomended student..._

 **"That is precisely correct, Yaororozu. Good analysis! Everyone in this exercise gave it their all, and that gives me hope for the future. I expected similar amounts of willpower from the rest of you, so do not disappoint! Up next, the heroes Iida and Hagakure versus the villains Sero and Ayoma!"**

As the requested students headed their assigned buildings, Todoroki walked up to Mina and Izuku.

"Ok, so then he told him... _I am Katsuki Bakugou, and I'm gonna be the BEST GODDAMN HERO IN THE ENTIRE WORLD AND DON'T YOU FORGET IT!..._ and man, that 5 year old just started _bawling_ his eyes out, and since I was with him at the time, we both got kicked out and banned from..."

They both stopped talking and laughing, even their smiles faded as they saw him approach.

 _I guess I just have that effect on people..._

"Hey Todoroki."

Mina spoke first, her expression less discomfort, more curiosity. Izuku looked cautious though, as if he sensed he was here for retribution. His posture turned rigid and his eyes were focused intently. In truth, it worried him. So far, Midoriya has shown traits of indecisiveness, social inexperience, and "fidgety" behavior. His "normal" self did a complete 180 in combat, but they were not in combat. He felt threatened, and was not hiding it.

"Hello Ashido-san, I just wanted to know if your acid will leave scarring."

Mina paused, before cautiously laughing at the sensible question.

"No it won't scar you Todoroki, it'll be gone by tomorrow. It burns yeah, but its closer to pepper spray then it is to my signature _melt-your-flesh_ acid."

"I see, thank you"

Before he could leave however, Izuku's voice called out to him.

"Hey Todoroki, wait up. I'll be back Mina!"

Mina narrowed her eyes. Her robo boy Izuku Midoriya leaving her to talk to Todoroki? That was odd at best. Maybe he wanted to talk about the match?

 _Is my shy boy Izu gonna make a new friend? So brave! Pft. What are you up to talking to Toto? 1000 yen says he's gonna ask about his quirk..._

"Midoryia-san?"

"Hey Todoroki-san, dont, uh, take this in a weird way or anything, but I'm really interested in your quirk. See, I know you can make ice...but you only seem to launch it from your right side.."

Silence. Midoriya fidgeted a little, his leftover confidence from the training exercise was beginning to wear off.

"...and..uh...my quirk, Augmentation, allows my eyes to have a _Thermal Vision_ mode, I used them to spot you through a corner and with the thermals I sa-"

"You saw the temperature difference between my left and right sides."

"I...yes I did."

Todoroki sighed. Truth be told, he was never particularly good at socializing with others. Sometimes he wondered if things would've been different if his father wasn't breathing down his neck 24/7, or if he still would've been inept. This was a _very_ personal subject Midoriya was approaching yet...he seemed genuine.

"My quirk is called Half-Cold Half-Hot. It allows me to create ice from my right side and fire from my left. I...dont use the fire. It is my father's quirk, and I am not on good terms with him. That's all there is to it."

Midoriya's face lit up like a Christmas tree. He started mumbling incoherently about the quirk, its potential uses, strengths, drawbacks, "cool combos", and too much too fast to keep track of, his social energy a complete contrast to what he was showing before. Todoroki glanced at Ashido.

 _So that's how they get along._ _Despite the eyes and the curly hair, they are opposites initially, but get him even slightly interested..._

"...or, OR, you could cauterize a wound in an emergency, if freezing it left too much risk for frostbite.."

"Midoriya-san."

"O-Oh! I'm sorry Todoroki, I was rambling.."

"It is alright, I appreciate the insight. I will be going now."

"S-Sure!"

Once Todoroki left, Mina playfully ruffled her friend's hair, half annoying him but half making him feel...nice? It felt nice.

 _Weird.._

"So Izu, what'd you guys talk about? Was it _boy stuff?_ You can tell me about that too ya know."

"No it wasn't _boy stuff_ , I just asked about his quirk."

 _FuckING CALLed it HAH._

"Ah, that sounds more like the nerd I know! Let's watch the next match and see how cool everyone is."

"I'd love too but..."

"Explosion boy? Sigh. I understand. I can come with if you want.."

"Did you just _say_ sigh? No I...I should really visit him alone. He hates losing and he will probably be mad. I'll help him cool off."

"Ah okie, see ya later dude!"

"Later Mina."

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxX

 **Author's Notes:** I hope everyone had a happy new year! I took a few days off, but now I am here with my story!

Writing this was fun, Izuku's costume was a little more practical to reflect his familiarity with a powerful quirk grounding him more in reality compared to just dreams of having a powerful quirk. I did not update Mina's costume from the canon _yet_ , as I am still messing with ideas and concepts.

Bakugou received some buffs with his quirk as well as his maturity/cooperativeness compared to the original story, as he has been training his quirk with Izuku, as well as being influenced by him.

Todoroki. Tricky trying to guage the power settings on this guy to keep things interesting, hopefully I did alright.

You may have noticed I tend to repeat full names and identify characters more than I need to, that's because I remember what it was like first reading MHA Fanfics. I got people mixed up often and had to take myself out of the story to look them up. I want to help people who I was once like, human empathy 101.

I've been hearing some comparisons about my Augmented Hero with another cyborg by the name of Genos. Dude is hella powerful. Deku will receive more abilities/upgrades in the future, I already have a certain scene rough drafted and everything, dont you worry.

Thanks for the super insightful review, you know not, but unfortunately, I cannot answer any of your questions, as they have already been answered by future story events.

 **-Delusional777**


	8. Obsolete Appendix

Izuku Midoriya excused himself from class with All Might's permission, and made his way to the school infirmary. Even during classes, the hallways of Yuuei were peppered with noise from the surrounding classrooms. The booming voices of Pro Heroes, the groans or excitable screeches of students, and juicy gossip between the staff left a white noise full of interesting things to know, if one only listened. Izuku found himself trying to block out the noise on his walk, preferring the silence that was so rare and hard to find in his city...

"You lost, sonny?", asked a familiar short old lady in a white coat.

"Oh! It's you, I remember you from after the entrance exam."

"Hmpf, I'm just me huh? Kids these days only know those like All Might and Endeavour, real powerhouses. There _are_ other ways to be a hero you know."

Izuku looked at the short woman's name tag, Chiyo Shuzenji...where has he heard that before?

 **Individual Profile: Chiyo Shuzenji, AKA Pro Hero: Recovery Girl. Her Quirk, Heal, allows her t-**

"Ohmygod you're Recovery Girl, the youthful heroine! I watched all of your instructional videos to better understand how to help people, I'm sorry I didn't recognize you!"

The old nurse chuckled at the boy's newfound enthusiasm. At least she still had some fans nowadays.

"Hah! Those videos are from decades ago kid, I don't blame you for not recognizing me. Every video you say? I'm gonna test that later, I assume you're going somewhere?"

"Of course, I wanted to check on my friend Kacch- er, Katsuki Bakugou."

"Ah, the kid who overdid it with his quirk, I'm surprised his arm didn't break from that. He's doing fine, a little out of it right now as I had to put him to sleep, angry kid."

"Heh, that sounds like him alright.."

Guided by Recovery Girl, Izuku made his way to the office, gingerly opening the door and spotting Kacchan on the far side of the room, sitting down on a bed. She gave them some privacy.

"Hey Kacchan."

He looked back, his trademark resting default scowl in full play. He had this faraway look in his eyes, as though he was not there, but imagined. His hands were wrapped in gauze, but otherwise unrestricted. There were no scars or injuries visible aside from his hands, his face had fully healed from Ashido's quirk. His silence said it all.

"You're angry."

He simply shrugged at the fact. No yelling or otherwise explosive volume from the ticking time bomb that was Katsuki Bakugou.

 _That's a really strong sedative..._

"I lost. To you. Again."

"Heroes lose sometimes, you know?"

"All Might doesn't."

Izuku paused. Kacchan doesn't know. No student knows. Only he knows the true nature of All Might, their greatest inspiration. His sickly form and darkened, hopeless eyes, his voice lost of all spirit and hope. Kacchan would never know the true nature of All Might until that wound killed him, and even then, it might be covered up to preserve hope and dignity. He wasn't allowed to be seen as weak, even though he was human as well. To Izuku, the prospect of having to live a lie to serve as a worldwide Symbol Of Peace was terrifying. Yet, both he and Kacchan were rushing towards that future, eager to fill the massive void that All Might would leave behind when he passed. Only now had he realized the massive responsibility it entailed.

"All Might is...human like the rest of us. He sometimes can't save everyone.."

"But he _never_ loses a fight."

"Being a hero isn't just about fights."

Silence.

"Deku."

Izuku couldn't help but notice just how pronounced he uttered the once demeaning nickname.

"You got a thing for Pinky?"

"H-Huh?!?"

 _Woah. Where the hell did that come from?_

"Kacchan what...what does that have to do wit-"

"You two worked together as if you've been doing it all your DAMN LIVES! I LOST BECAUSE YOU TWO GO TOGETHER LIKE PEDOPHILIA AND ANIME, I WOULD'VE WON IF IT WAS _ANYONE_ ELSE, I..."

He lost his energy at the end of his rant, the sedatives working their way through his blood and exhausting him of his usual energy. Katsuki couldn't help but compare it to when Deku used his pheromones on him. At least Deku turned it off.

"I...I don't know. She's friendly and really pretty, a-and sometimes when I'm with h-her I feel this..."

"Yeah no shit, but would you cook her breakfast the morning after?"

" _Kacchan_!"

"ANSWER THE DAMN QUESTION!"

"I DON'T KNOW, ALRIGHT?!?"

Uncomfortable silence.

"You _ran_ , Deku. It was you and me, and you fucking _ran_ to save her, instead of facing me. You don't hit back as much as you should, yeah, but you _never run away._ You wouldn't have ran if it was anyone else. You ran because it was her."

"I ran because the objective of the villain team was to protect the bomb, and she wouldn't have been able to take on Todoroki on her own. It wouldn't have mattered if I won our fight, he would've found the bomb. It was about being smart. It...it wasn't about her, it was about b-"

"Being a hero", finished Bakugou. Another uneasy silence pervaded the room, intensifying with each passing second. Izuku felt a measure of anger and disappointment. He came here to make his friend feel better and to show him he cares, difficult as that was. All they've done is fight so far.

"I'm s-"

"Don't _EVER_ apologize for winning. Heroes always win, and should never say sorry, not even when they _kill_ the villain."

That particular word sent chills down his spine. He could feel his longtime friend's will and determination made manifest, sedative or no, he fully believed in everything he was saying. He wasn't just full of hatred for villains, he was a generator of hatred.

Izuku chose his next words carefully.

"I'm sorry I don't know exactly how I feel about Ashido, and you're right, my...familiarity with her helped us work together better than if anyone else was my partner. You're exhausted from the sedative and your treatment, so try and relax, I'm heading back."

The explosion spammer simply huffed.

"I don't know what you're talking about, Deku. I'm always relaxed."

Izuku smiled.

"Yeah, I know you are."

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxX

Mina watched in giddyness at the matchup on the screen, Hanta Sero, was currently slowing down and ambushing Kirishima, and it was more evenly matched than one would suspect. Sero was using his sticky tape to completely block off hallways, while Kirishima was forced to activate his hardening quirk to make his hands sharp enough to cut through the artificial jungle. Kirishima's partner, Koda, was unfortunately out of his natural element in this exercise.

 _Izuku would be geeking out so hard right now, I'll have to tell him all about it when he gets back..._ _ooooo, speaking of the green haired devil!_

"Mi-boi-riya, you gotta watch this!"

Izuku turned towards her and she couldn't help but notice a solemn frown plastered over his usual thought filled neutrality. He looked as if someone got him a puppy and took it away two days later. He put on a weak smile but she knew the truth, whatever happened with his friend was bothering him. Maybe she should have tagged along.

"Hey Izuku", Mina lowered her voice and walked over to him, creating a bit of space for them to talk.

"Did something bad happen in there?"

"Dang, you saw right through me huh?"

"Just a lucky guess..."

The green bean shook his broccoli head.

"Just Kacchan being Kacchan is all", attempted to assure Midoriya, but Mina just happened to be an experienced social butterfly. She knew the tells of deception and holding back information. A slight pause in the voice, irregular eye contact, too much eye contact, body language. She could tell his stress levels were high, something was still bothering him. She figured there was only one way to know for sure. She stepped slightly foward, bringing her face just barely infront of her friend's "personal space bubble". Most people wouldn't think twice about it, but Midoryia would likely recoil, being the awkward-around-pretty-girls type of guy she knew he was.

"Are you _sure_?"

"Yeah Mina, positive", nonchalantly responded Izuku.

 _You didn't flinch at all._

Well, that confirmed it. He's putting up a false casual front to avoid any more questions. Whatever this was is probably hella serious...all the more reason to help him though. She'd have to figure it out later.

"So, who's fighting?"

"Oh uh...Kirishima and Koda, the rocky dude, versus Sero and Hagakure."

"Oh sweet!", exclaimed Izuku as he found his way to one of the many screens the class was watching, and just like that, their conversation ended.

 _Damn it Izu, why won't you tell me?_

Izuku let out a steep breath apon putting distance between himself and Mina, not out of necessity to breathe, but out of tension. The words exchanged in that infirmary left a question in his mechanically altered heart, and no augmentation would help him find the answer to it.

 _Mina is perky and beautiful, and brings so much positive energy that I can't help but be carried away by her...yet, do I like her really? Or is she just a girl, and this uneasiness will go away in a month, tops? All I know is that I don't want to lose what I have._

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxX

The next day, 1-A's homeroom class talked amongst themselves about the battles yesterday, congratulating and consoling each other on their results. Kirishima was attempting to establish some kind of social contact with Kacchan, who barely tolerated his presence and gave short, simple responses. Izuku was having a rather heated debate about hero versus villain matchups with Iida, who was stubbornly insistent that the heroes would always prevail, while Izuku took a more realistic approach. Mina was chatting it up with Hagakure about _girl stuff_ , said both of them whenever Izuku questioned them.

 _Girl stuff. What does that even mean?_ _I guess I can't judge though, I've been keeping quiet about girl stuff too..._

Then, a shadow darker than Tokoyami's breached the entrance to the room. The class sit still and quiet at the necessary intrusion of their homeroom teacher, Shouta Aizawa. His presence filled the room with uncertainty and slight discomfort.

 _Silent before I entered the classroom, these kids are learning._

"Students of class 1-A, today..."

The class braced themself for another _rational deception_ or otherwise underhanded assignment that would make them either cry or rage in the stress it brought, but thankfully, they were spared.

"...you will be choosing your class representative."

The classroom's fuse was set, and exploded in energy. Nearly everyone raised their hands and called to be chosen, but Tenya Iida had an idea.

"Everyone! I am well aware of the enticement of class authority, but not everyone is capable of leading others into glory. I suggest we hold a democratic vote to ensure whoever is in office is mutually decided to be most worthy of such station. Would that be suitable, Aizawa-sensei?"

"Sure, just pick someone before class ends", said the sleeping bag on the floor.

"What's to stop people from just voting for theirselves though?", cynically countered Kyoka Jiro.

"Our battles against each other from hero training, of course! We have all seen each other strive and struggle yesterday, and I believe that is sufficient enough data to choose our vote!", Iida did not miss a single beat in his response.

The class begrudgingly agreed that made some sense, and was far more productive than just screaming _pick me_ , although of course, the prospect of a vote made others commit to some popularity strategy. Nearly everyone chimed up to be elected, claiming policies and promising rewards.

"Vote for me and I'll bake you all a bunch of sweets every other week!", shamelessly bribed Rikido Sato.

"Vote for me and I'll let some of you extras get in on me and Deku's training sessions!", angrily enticed Bakugou.

"Vote for me and I'll make it so the girls can only come to school in skimpy outfits!", desperately exclaimed the grape headed pervert, Mineta.

The class had very little to say about that one, particularly the girls.

At the end of Mineta's self shaming proclamation, the class chatted amongst themselves and their friends, taking on a more personal approach.

"Hey Izuku, you gonna vote for me or what?", questioned the upbeat pinkette.

 _Can't say I'm surprised by Mina wanting the job, but I seriously think Iida has a point about responsibility._

"Well I'd love to but...you're not the _most_ responsible if I'm being honest with you."

"Why _Izuku_ , what makes you say that?"

"You almost never turn your work in on time and you keep messing with my hands like I'm some kinda animal or something..."

"That's cause they're cool as hell dude! It's a compliment! Ohhhhh wait a minute. You're just saying this so you can touch my horns huh? Sneaky Izuku."

The boy blushed at the girl's suggestion. He had taken some glances at his friend's horns, that would be rather pronounced if her hair wasn't as curly and messy as it was. It's not like he _really_ wanted to mess with them or anything. It's just simple, human curiosity right? We want to know new things. In this case, he really wants to know what Mina's horns feel like. Nothing creepy or anything like that, not like trying to feel her up or something...

"What was that about _curiosity_ and _horns_? I KNEW IT! C'mon Izu, vote for me and I'll let you feel them."

 _Damnit I was muttering again..._

"I...I can't vote for you just to feel your horns Mina, that's _weird._ "

Mina's voice lowered in volume and considerably softened.

"Izu, you don't actually have to vote for me or anything, my money is on Yao-Momo if we're being real here, but uh...if you actually want to touch them, you can. It won't be weird if you're doing it, promise."

The boy hesitated before responding.

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah go for it, show me some of that Midoryia spirit like when you're fighting!"

Izuku took a deep breath and reached foward towards his friend's messy head of hair, the horns jutting out providing an admittedly enticing reason for his action. A smile gripped his face when he realized he was about to fulfill one his many curiosities, and there was nothing quite as satisfying to him than that. It's a shame that wasn't going to happen today, however. Izuku stopped his reach apon realizing the sound in the classroom, or rather, the lack of it.

The girls in the classroom had their eyes on him with varying levels of suspicion and disgust, while the boys looked curious, indifferent, or in the case of some certain grape and lighting headed boys, _unnerving_.

"Go on, Midoriya...touch her _horns._ ", nearly begged Mineta.

"Shouldn't you people be electing class pres or something?!?", shouted Mina, completely embarrassed by the invasive and perverted attention the class was giving them.

"S-s-sorry Mina", weakly offered Izuku.

"H-hey it's not your fault, I kinda put us in this mess, you can touch em later."

Izuku never noticed before, but Mina's violet blush that rarely crossed her face was _beautiful_. It made her seem so unlike herself, vulnerable and reclusive, yet physically, it was the best possible makeup she could ever apply.

 _Wait, does she wear makeup? I suppose not since her acid would mess it up the moment even the slightest amount appeared, but maybe she found a way to circumnavigate that issue, after all there are several products that take quirks into consideration, but even then..._

Mina did not get a response out of the boy, instead he started muttering about circumnavigation, whatever that was. What she did take note of, was how his eyes never left her face, no matter how she waved her hand infront of him or snapped in his ears, he remained entranced. Her blush deepened in area and intensity when he, as well as the class, wouldn't stop looking at her.

 _Damnit Izu this is no time for flattery!_

Eager to escape the awkward situation, Mina let some acid drip on Izuku's hand, nothing too serious, but it would hurt normal flesh, so he should at least notice it. Izuku broke out of his trance and...laughed?

"Mina that tickles!"

 _No freaking way._

Izuku kept laughing, even without direct contact, her acid stuck to his metal hand and ate into it with minimal success, the sensation similar to nibbling, but on a much smaller scale. Mina saw her opportunity and reached for his hand again, which Izuku saw coming and kicked his chair away from her, desperately cornering himself to avoid the sensation.

"Mina waitwaitwait-"

"Nuh uh Izu, I have another way to mess with you, and I'm _so_ gonna abuse it."

"MINA PLE-"

" _Ashido_."

One word. One word was all it took for Aizawa to ruin the cheery mood, silence the classroom, and break the previously _unproductive_ attitude spreading, that seemed to come from Midoriya and Ashido. Those two seemed to have a positive influence on each other in battle, but elsewhere, it would bring them ruin, and as a teacher he could not allow that.

 _There is nothing more cruel than being held back by the ones you hold dear._

"Stop tickling Midoriya, as for the rest of you, stop gawking at basic social interaction and get back to work."

Iida saw this as his chance to restablish order now that the chaos was cleared away.

"Yes, Aizawa-sensei! Everyone, I will pass out strips of paper, please write the name of your preferred nominee, the person with the most votes will receive the title!"

And so, he did. Once he collected the papers and counted them up, he wrote the results down on the board starting with those who recieved the least amount of votes.

Toru Hagakure: 0

Minoru Mineta: 0

Rikido Sato : 0

Kyoka Jiro : 0

Hanta Sero : 0

Ejiro Kirishima: 0

Mashirao Ojiro: 0

Mina Ashido: 0

Koji Koda: 0

Shoto Todoroki: 0

Tsuyu Asui: 0

Mezo Shoji: 0

Denki Kaminari: 0

Ochako Uraraka: 0

Tenya Iida: 1

Yuga Ayoma : 1

Fumikage Tokoyami: 1

Bakugou Katsuki: 3

Momo Yaororozu: 7

Izuku Midoriya: 7

"A TIE?"

"Curses, defeated by my own system!"

"WHY THE HELL IS DEKU HIGHER UP THAN I AM?!?"

"I...uh.."

 _I do not want this!_

"Hmm, a stalemate between Midoriya and Yaororozu, we must have a tiebreaker to continue forth, may I suggest an intelligence quotient test?"

"I do not think that would be wise, Iida-san."

Yaororozu herself spoke on the matter. She wanted this position, she felt that she, not to be imposing, was the perfect person for the job. She was also aware of Midoriya's particularly interesting quirk, but one thing she took of note was his grades on assignments, it was quite often he was the first to start working after he glanced at his notes, first to finish, and first to turn work in.

 _Almost as if he only needs to look at his notes once to absorb their information. Whether by photographic memory or simply an astounding intelligence, Midoriya will outpace me in traditional I.Q. tests, there is only one way I can defeat him, and that relies on the unpredictability of my quirk._

"Aizawa-sensei, for a tiebreaker I propose a trial by combat!"

The class gasped and went silent at this. Aizawa on the other hand, smiled to himself and got up off the floor.

 _A bold move against one of the strongest students in the class, you really want this, don't you? At the worst, its extra combat exercise, at best, it will inspire your fellow students._

"Aizawa-sensei, we cannot possibly settle a democratic vote with barbaric viole-"

"I accept your proposal, everyone, make your way to training ground Delta, and be quick about it. Midoriya and Yaororozu will be allowed to wear their hero costumes."

Izuku gulped. This was not how he wanted this day to go. He risked a glance to Yaororozu and immediately regretted it. Her usually calm demeanor and presence was replaced by one of cool determination and intensity. Mina was trying not to laugh at him, but failing.

"...and Midoriya, regardless if you want this position or not, you are _not_ to hold back, or you _will_ be expelled. Are we clear?"

"Y-yes Aizawa-sensei..."

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxX

 **Author's Notes:** Hey y'all, hope the return to work/school/whatever you do was not too rough on you, I had a little trouble readjusting heh..

Now, I'm well aware that yeahhhh, Midoriya with crappy bone-hurting-One For All was able to out vote everyone in class 1-A, but it wouldn't be fanfiction if everything was the same. I attribute the changes in vote to Izuku's interactions, and lack of interactions, with others.

All the girls (plus a certain perv) voted for Yaororozu, even Ochako, who would've probably voted for Midoriya in the main story. Todoroki was impressed by Izuku and give him his vote. Ayoma voted for himself because he is the most sparkly person there was, and the others are up to you, really.

Reviewer WizardShinobi, I love your name and appreciate your input. Izuku's general attitude, despite being stronger and more outgoing, is still introverted. He makes friends sure, but there are several factors aside from "quirkless trash" that makes him that way, at least in my fanfic. One of which is how a powerful quirk affects him vs how a powerful quirk would affect someone like Katsuki Bakugou.

A powerful quirk from childhood would immediately place you on a pedestal, worthy to be admired, hung out with, talked to, etc. To Bakugou, his ego would be inflated and he'd love that shit, at least initially. To Izuku, however, it would only alienate him from meaningful relationships, as people only hang out with him for his quirk. He had plenty of "school friends", but he had almost zero "friend friends", and as a result, doesn't really know how to handle himself beyond an introductory level.

Reason two for his continued social ineptitude, is the fact that until the entrance exam, Izuku the augmented hero has only had 2 friendships so far, one with Bakugou, who was always more of a rival he trained with, and Hitoshi Shinso, the purple haired boy with the brainwashing quirk. Some may have noticed that I brought him up once and never touched him again, you're gonna find out why, dear readers.

As for your other point, about the entrance exam, I will admit defeat. I buffed the robots to ensure the fight would not be Izuku roflstomping (anyone remember that term?) everything in sight, as that would be boring. In buffing the bots however, I did not consider that many weaker applicants should not make it into Yuuei like they did in the original. I take full blame for it, and humbly ask for a suspension of belief in the name of entertainment.

Reviewer Super Saiyan Rose Goku Black, try saying _that_ 5 times fast! In regards to Izuku's hero costume resembling Venom Snake's, I was actually going for Adam Jensen's (without his cool ass coat) look from Deus Ex: Human Revolution, which I took a lot of inspiration from in creating this story. The vest is entirely up to your imagination though.

 **-Delusional777**


	9. Nervous Apparatus

Class 1-A arrived at ground Delta, a massive indoor warehouse setting complete with cover, stacked industrial storage containers, wooden boxes and barrels and a large assortment of other storage utilities. The warehouse was well lit and just a little too hot for the taste of most who resided within, resulting in the classmates of 1-A casting off their heavy outer layer of uniform. Shouta Aizawa looked unbothered in his black head to toe apparel, naturally. The students not participating in combat were on the upper walkways on the warehouse, which were shielded by heavy plastic boards attached to the railings that allowed for a _relatively_ safe viewing of any such exercises below. The females and a few males supported Yaororozu, while most of the males supported Midoriya. The audience was ready, but Mina Ashido was not.

 _Bleh, it almost feels wrong to oppose Izu, even if it is for something as silly as nominating class representative. I'm worried about him too, I know he's a tough cookie, I just don't like that look in Yaororozu's eyes._

Momo Yaororozu and Izuku Midoriya were adorned in their hero costumes, one of them with the aim to reach higher and the other simply wishing to keep his enrollment intact, and that meant fighting with everything he had. The two competitors were instructed to opposite sides of the arena warehouse. If there was one good thing to come out of this though, it was the excitement this confrontation was having on the class.

"YOU CAN DO THIS, YAOROROZU!"

"DON'T KILL HER TOO MUCH, DEKU!"

"TEACH THAT GROSS HORN GRABBER!"

"Jiro, he didn't even-"

"DONT HOLD BACK MIDORIYA, REMEMBER, EQUAL RIGHTS AND LEFTS!"

"FIND OUT IF HE'S GOT ANY JUNK, GIVE IT A _GOOD KICK_!"

 _"Toru!"_

"Midoriya, Yaororozu, you are both to fight to the best of your ability, victory conditions are incapacitation, or submission to the other. Midoriya, if you hold back for any reason aside from outright _killing_ her, you will be expelled. Yaororozu, I expect the very same effort from you, no matter how much pain your "victim" is in, you are on the side of the law, and they are not. Show no sympathy. Are both of you ready?"

"Yes, Sensei!"

"BEGIN!"

 **Combat Assessment:** **Complete**

 **Threat: Situational**

 **Momo Yaororozu is physically inferior to user in terms of strength, speed, and size. Main and only danger stems from her Creation quirk combined with her significant intelligence. Completely and utterly unpredictable, threat can skyrocket depending on what she creates. Reccomended course of action: Close distance and end the fight before she has time to create anything that will give her an advantage.**

 _I'm sorry Yaororozu, but I can't be expelled, I need to be a hero!_

Izuku dashed across the warehouse, vaulting and sliding between cover to ensure he could reach her as soon as possible, but unbeknownst to him, it was too late. Izuku was in the process of vaulting over some boxes when he heard a _crack!,_ and recieved a shotgun blast to the chest.

"WOAH!"

"HOLY SHIT!"

"HELL YEAH, GO YAOROROZU!

"GET THE FUCK UP DEKU, YOU'VE FACED WORSE IN TRAINING!"

"A _SHOTGUN?!?_ AIZAWA HOW IS TH-"

"That firearm shoots non-lethal beanbag projectiles, and will not seriously harm someone like Midoriya. Ashido, you will address me as _Aizawa-sensei_ , are we clear?"

"Y-Yes, Aizawa-sensei..."

Izuku quickly recovered and rolled behind a shipping container, breathing heavily from the unexpected impact.

 _Holy shit is that real?!? No...no it can't be, it has to be filled with non-lethal rounds or something...that scared the hell out of me! I'll have to use Armor or Invisibility to get close, but what if she has planned around that too? How do I even begin to create a strategy against someone with limitless potential who can flip the entire playing field?_

Izuku activated his thermal vision and looked through his cover, Yaororozu has changed her position, now atop a pile of boxes to gain extra visibility, carefully aiming between the two points of cover that he could expose himself to. Something odd was on her head.

 _What is that?_

He activated his invisibility and moved to the edge of his cover, and noticed her head turning like a swivel towards him.

 _I think she can see me..._

He faked a movement like he was about to stick his invisible head out, before quickly ducking back, narrowly avoiding a blast to the face.

 _Yep, yep, she definitely sees me!_ _Damnit she has thermals too._ _I have no choice but to play into what she expects._

Activating his crystalline armor, Izuku made a mad dash for his opponent, shrugging off the beanbag rounds that collided into him with surprising accuracy. He jumped onto her and nearly reached her weapon, but she fell backwards and swung from an already set up grappling hook fastened to the walkways above, putting even more distance between them, and landed roughly on the concrete ground.

 _Damn, s_ _he's relying on my need to get in close._

"Woah, she played him like a fiddle."

"Pft, she was lucky, he nearly got her."

Izuku ran for cover, or would have if he had the ability.

 _Why can't I move...?_

"I have you now, Midoriya!"

Izuku strained to jump off the wooden box, but some kind of intangible, invisible teather kept him roped to its surface. Only Yaororozu and Midoriya knew what kept him bound.

 _A magnet?!?_

Shot after shot of beanbag rounds from her semi-automatic shotgun found their target, Izuku, who was straining to escape the magnetic grip of the magenet in the box while also keeping up his armor to minimize damage taken, but he was running out of time. In a fit of desperation he punched through the box, causing the strong magnet to latch onto his left palm, effectively locking it into a fist. He sprinted towards Yaororozu just as she was unluckily caught in a reload and reared his fist back, smashing either her or the gun into pieces, and she chose the gun. Unfortunately, she was still in his range, and had no further equipment available.

"I'm sorry, Yaororozu.."

Izuku grabbed her arm and secured it firmly in a vice like grip while rearing his magnetic fist back, one solid punch was all he needed to end this fight, and while he ultimately respected his opponent for covering her bases, coming up with an ingenious plan to trap him, and amazing accuracy with firearms, some fights were simply unwinnable. She couldn't kite him around forever, and he was simply too tough for non-lethal ammunition. She grabbed and pushed desperately at his face with her free arm, trying as hard as she could to disorient him, or so Izuku thought.

"No, Midoriya, _I'm sorry._ "

 _How is she tickling my face?_

" **IZUKU!!!** ", came a familiar, bone chilling shriek from above.

Then, a maelstrom of pain engulfed his senses. The smell of burning metal and flesh assaulted his nose, the sound of gasps, frantic screams of excitement and incredible agony, an oppressive infinite darkness shrouded his right eye, as he found himself partially blind. Worst however, was touch. _Her touch._ From the moment she said sorry, horrific, overwhelming, and unprecedented suffering latched on to him, ate through his armor entirely, and drove their hellish teeth directly into his nerves, even their natural pain-numbing properties not being enough to prevent him from adding his scream to Yaororozu's.

Yaororozu didn't stop screaming, but she didn't just sacrifice her hand and hurt her classmate for nothing. She pulled another shotgun out from her torso, placed the business end against Midoriya's temple, and pulled the trigger. He was released from his suffering before he hit the ground.

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxX

Izuku Midoriya woke up to an admittedly familiar smell and sensation, one of a hospital bed. The blinds on his window were open. He was back in the infirmary, his hero costume still on, with the exception of a removed vest, fully leaving his upper body exposed to the sun. What he was surprised to find however, was that he was not the only one there. Across the room, his homeroom teacher Aizawa stood, staring at him.

"You're awake."

"I...yeah..", eloquently responded Izuku as he covered up his chest with a blanket.

"I apologize for letting things get out of hand."

"Oh no it's...it's alright, I can recover from nearly anything...is Yaororozu okay? I don't fully remember what happened..."

"It has been a few hours", the pro hero paused, before throwing him a bundle of clothing, his Yuuei gym uniform, which Izuku gratefully accepted.

"Much has transpired since your _defeat_ , once you're dressed follow me", Aizawa drew a privacy curtain next to his bed, allowing Izuku the dignity to dress himself.

Izuku got off his bed and followed Aizawa, sparing a glance at a nearby mirror. No evidence of injury whatsoever, he was completely healed from...having extremely corrosive acid gushed onto his face.

 _I can still feel it on me, I've never been in that much pain before._

"Shuzenji-san, he's awake."

"Oh please Shouta-kun, just call me Chiyo. How many years has it been?"

"Hmm."

Izuku was approached by the very same Recovery Girl he had spoken to many times before, and the stern, disappointed look in her eyes said it all.

"Boy, do you legitimately _enjoy_ being in pain? No judgements here, I simply believe you should limit your methods."

"N-No Ma'am..."

"Hmpf, well I believe you. Yaororozu is right over there, behind the curtain. Aizawa, the grumpy old cat of a hero, said you two were related injuries. I imagine you two have some choice words to say to each other? Just don't let it escalate to violence."

"Ah, thank you Recovery Girl, for everything."

"You should be thanking that girlfriend of yours, came in a few times to check on you and make sure nobody closed the blinds, not that I would let them."

 _Girlfriend?!?_

"I already told you, Shuzenji, there are no romantic happenings between any of my students."

"...yet", enthusiastically remarked the old hero.

"Hmm. In any case, after you are finished talking to Yaororozu, I want you to talk to me before you leave. I have something of significance to tell you before you resume your classes."

With that, the medic and homeroom teacher left Izuku alone, with Yaororozu apparently on the other side of a flimsy curtain, their only illusion of privacy. He thought for a moment on what to say to her, what even _could_ he say to her? _Oh hi Yaororozu, congrats on the promotion, hope your hand didn't melt off, because my face is 100% a okay._ Would she be angry at him for driving her to such extreme measures? Would things be awkward? Would she feel bad about rubbing acid in his face just for a title? Granted, they hadn't really spoken to each other, but this may have ruined whatever first impression he might've wanted to make.

"Ah...so this is the muttering that Mina talks about. Come in, Midoriya-san."

Steeling his nerves and casting away his turbulent thoughts, Izuku walked through the curtain, revealing a...surprisingly okay sight. Yaororozu was laying down on the infirmary bed, her right hand wrapped in several layers of gauze. Like Izuku, she was not in her hero costume, instead having donned a simple hospital gown. She looked clean, rested, and generally pretty considering how injured her hand must've been. Her face wore a slight smile, as though she had reassured her dignity despite the sacrifice.

"How is-er, are...you?"

 _Well, you tried, Midoriya._

"My hand, you mean? It will recover in time, but the scars will never fade, so I'm told. Truth be told, I don't think I want them to either."

"Huh?"

"...All my life, I have been training, and training and training to fulfill this impossible dream, to become a hero. My family doesn't exactly approve, but in my heart I know it is the right choice for me. When I came here, I expected that training to pay off, to bear fruit. Yet, you always seemed to place first, always surpassing me. You achieved a record breaking score in the entrance exam, got ahead of me in the quirk apprehension test, and even your grades seem to outdo my own. So when the opportunity for class representative presented itself, I knew I had to have this, if only to reassure myself that my training wasn't for nothing. Training for as long as I could remember, to make myself as close to perfection as possible, and your quirk...it..."

"It makes you the perfect human. I was striving for perfection, but you're _already there._ How could I compete with that?"

Yaororozu took a deep, shaky breath and sighed, her voice trembling at the end of her speech. Midoriya could tell from experience that she was nearly at a point where tears would flow.

"I...I'm sorry, Midoriya. I'm sorry I was so reckless and brash, for succumbing to my desires for greatness, and to my envy of you. It was not very heroic, and only put us both in the infirmary. I am also sorry for ruining whatever friendship we could have had, you and Ashido get along very well, and while she and I have our differences, I know she is a good judge of character. I also-"

"Yaororozu-san", Izuku offered a warm smile to her.

"I am not angry at you. I'm very impressed you saw what you wanted and took it, despite the overwhelming odds. You wanted the job far more than I did, and that showed today. To see someone other than Bakugou defeat me is refreshing, and the way you did it, to go _so far_ just to win...you remind me of his strength, his drive. It's one of the highest complements I can offer. Your strategy of using your range was brilliant, and that magnet trick? That was legitmate pro hero thinking! You're amazing, Yaororozu, I would love to be your friend. Wear those scars with pride, and _don't ever apologize for winning._ "

Momo Yaororozu was shocked, for lack of a better word. She had expected him to chastise her, to tell her just how _petty_ and _recklessly stupid_ she had been just to win, but it seemed to have had the opposite effect. He respected out of the box thinking, as well as the mental fortitude of others, their drive. It suddenly made sense how he and Bakugou were mostly friendly with each other, they respected each other's strength and determination to become heroes. Despite his easily flustered and...well... _geeky_ attitude, one of his values is power, but there was kindness too. In his smile, in his almost somber expression when he got a hold of her and reared his fist back, he didn't legitmately _enjoy_ defeating her, he just had to, and right now, reassuring her that what she did was right, and there was no reason to apologize.

 _Izuku, where have you been all my life?_

"T-Thank you, Midoriya. I never approached the topic that way before...since we're friend's now, we should call each other by...by our names, don't you think?"

"A-Ah, of course, you're right. It's been an honor to fight you, Momo."

"Likewise...Izuku."

She furrowed her brow, remembering that her new friend had been sleeping for a while now. He didn't know, did he?

"Izuku, you should talk to Aizawa-sensei, he has something important to tell you."

"I see, well, I'll...see you around?"

She chuckled lightly.

"I'd certainly hope so, as we share classes."

"Oh, pft, right."

Izuku Midoriya left the still injured girl to rest, his heart lightened of its heavy burden. He could only hope he did the same for her. It didn't take long to find Aizawa, as he had been waiting at the entrance to the infirmary.

"How is she?"

"She's alright, Aizawa-sensei."

"Good. How are you?"

Caught a little off guard by the question, Izuku stumbled at bit before fully answering.

"...and then I said, _You should never apologize for winning_ , and after that she seemed to have cheered up a bit, and then she-"

"I understand. I am pleased to know no lasting trauma will remain between the two of you. Midoriya, something embarrassing happened while you were unconscious. An unauthorized individual, or individuals, trespassed onto Yuuei, past the security barrier that keeps the usual press out."

"How is that even possible? They weren't even caught? Is...is everyone okay?"

"Nobody recieved any serious injuries, thanks to our class' own Tenya Iida, who spotted the press outside and found a way to grab a frightened mob of teenager's attention. He told them it was just the press, and that there is nothing to worry about. As far as the studentbase goes, you are the _only_ one who knows the truth of what happened, and I expect it to stay that way, are we clear?"

Izuku took the information in. It seemed almost impossible that anyone would willingly break into a school patrolled by some of the most powerful heroes in Japan. It was clever to use the press as a smokescreen and by time, but the task in itself was nearly _suicidal_. What could possibly be worth breaking into the school for? Another thought occured.

"Aizawa-sensei, why did you tell me the truth?"

Aizawa glared at Izuku, almost as if he had already declared him unworthy for simply questioning authority, but he couldn't be further from the truth.

"In the field, a hero must rely on logic and information to make desicions, but there are also moments were he needs to trust his gut. I have a very open relationship with my instincts. This infiltration is not an attack in itself, it was for the purpose of gathering information. I do not know how or when we will be attacked, or who the infiltrators will target, but I do suspect it is going to happen sometime in the future. Midoriya, I told you because you are the most naturally inquisitive of class 1-A. If you find or see _anything_ wrong, you are to report directly back to me. Also, congratulations on becoming deputy representative, you are to assist Yaororozu and occasionally fill in for her as class representative if the need arises."

"Understood, Aizawa-sensei!"

"Good, now follow me, _press break in_ or no, class must continue. You and your classmates, excluding Yaororozu, will be transported by bus to a facility some fair distance from the school. You are allowed to wear your hero costume, but it was damaged during your fight. Gym uniforms are acceptable, however, so there's nothing to stop you from immediately heading to the bus."

"Yes, Aizawa-sensei!"

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxX

 **Author's Notes:** What's this? A new chapter before the end of the week? I wanted to get this one done quickly so the events of last chapter are still clear in your head, as I know for a fact that I read a ton of fanfics, and sometimes you forget some story details when a new chapter shows up.

Ahem, so Yaororozu recieved a _slight_ buff. I originally thought, hey, I made her conjure a fucking motorcycle, fully functional. I realized a shotgun, even semi auto, would technically be a step down from that, so I just went for it. Another reason I did this is because I hate how in the show she's treated more as a utility than a combatant. While yeah, she is an _amazing_ person to have on literally any team, her quirk lets her whoop ass and that isn't utilized as much as it should, in my personal opinion. Yao-momo, I love you, but stop Creati staves and rope please.

So I made her a badass.

I also had Izuku and her bond over their metal, Yaororozu in mentality and Izuku in...well do I have to say it? She was a close second to Mina while I was deciding ships tbh.

I'm very happy my reviewers like where my story is heading, it started off as a whimsy idea but now I'm pretty in love with it too!

bestpony666, I enjoy the prominant characters of class 1-B, but have no plans to give them major roles compared to the anime.

Ryukin Maou, I primarily based Izuku's body and abilities off the augs from Deus Ex: Human Revolution, and for the most part, intend to keep his abilities from that game. Now, by no means am I saying its unreasonable for him to launch his blades instead of them being stuck to him, or stick a Taser in his arms, or perhaps give him a version of the Typhoon (although I probably won't call it that, copyright and such shhhh), but most of his abilities will be from Human Revolution only.

You want a list? Here's ya list. It won't be worded quite like it is in the games, and I added some extra stuff for extra clarity.

Izuku's Augmentations

 **Passive:**

•Pain Suppressors

•Enhanced Senses

•Enhanced Durability

•Enhanced Reflexes

•Enhanced Strength

•Enhanced Speed

•Enhanced Intelligence

•Video/Photographic Memory

•Adrenaline Administers

•Internal Systems - Better organs, skeleton, variety of body systems and passive regeneration, allows him to absorb solar energy.

 **Abilities/Activation:**

•Invisibility Cloak

•Crystalline Armor

•Pheramone Emitter - Can release Depressants or Stimulants to calm or rile living things up.

•Thermal Vision

•Arm Blades

•Oxygen Filter - Filters nasty stuff out of his lungs when he breathes, useful against chemical gas attack.

•Combat Assessment - Used this a few times, gives him some tips and reccomended actions against enemies based on what he knows.

Hopefully I didn't miss anything...

Whitetiger789, and every other soul who sets their eyes apon this story, stop asking about Izuku's peepee. I don't know.

See you guys next chapter in USJ!

 **-Delusional777**


	10. Tin Man

With Izuku Midoriya in tow, Aizawa made his way to the Yuuei bus and got in the driver's seat, already aware of the explosion of noise that would erupt from a certain pink haired individual once she saw a certain green haired one. A small part of him was relieved that Midoryia had no complications in recovery, as a teacher it was his duty to guide his students, and that included keeping them from permanently disabling themselves over what was essentially an additional burden of responsibility. Sighing, he motioned for Izuku to board the bus.

"Students, I am pleased to announce that Iz-"

"IZUKUUU!", cheered a speeding, pink bullet as it collided onto the poor boy and nearly knocked him over, his frame completely locked in her arms.

Izuku's face turned a flurry of reddish tones, accompanied by a drastic increase in temperature once he realized just how _close_ they were. The girl's... _generous_ upper half wasn't helping either. Mina's face was _extremely_ close to his and set ablaze in a bright smile at seeing her dear friend unharmed and flustered.

"I was _so_ worried about you! You were all _I'm sorry, Yaororozu..._ and she was all _You, are already dead!_ and you went all _Nani!?!_ and wow Izu is it me, or did that acid do your face some favors?", teased the still uncomfortably close Mina Ashido.

"M-Mina!"

" _Tsk tsk_ , I'm just messing with ya dude, I'm...I'm really glad you're okay, I got really scared when Yao-momo did what she did..I honestly feel like she went too far, you know?"

Kirishima spoke up, his smile bright as ever at seeing his bro Midoriya unharmed.

"Well I dunno about that Ashido, what she did was honestly really manly. I mean c'mon, she _almost melted her hand_ to defeat the strongest guy in class, and it WORKED!"

"WHO YOU CALLING _STRONGEST GUY IN CLASS_ , SHARK WEEK?!?", yelled out Bakugou, who was admittedly pleased to see his frie- _rival. His rival and training partner_ , had made a full recovery.

"Everybody sit down, we're going to a rescue training site and it would be impractical to have one of you sustain a head injury beforehand."

Now it was Izuku's turn let his emotions run rampant as he sat down next to Mina.

"Rescue training! This is what it means to be a hero, not just fighting people, but saving them! I've been looking foward to this for ages! Well, as long as it's not a crashed ship or anything..."

The frog-like girl Tsuyu Asui raised an eyebrow at that statement.

"Are you unable to swim, Midoriya?"

"Well...", embarrassingly confirmed the supposedly upgraded human.

"Well _duh_ Tsu, he's a pretty heavy guy incase you haven't noticed!", once again teased Mina.

 _Heavy?_

"Ahhh you're right Ashido, Midoriya does look a little on the heavy side", supported Hanta Sero, catching wind of Mina's teasing and going along with it, his mischievous smile widening.

"W-What!?! Wait I'm not... _that_ kind of heavy, am I?", sputtered out Izuku as he frantically looked down at his gym uniform.

 _Wait a minute..._

The laughter of his classmates said it all.

"You're _so_ funny Mina, just, _so_ funny..."

Time passed by and Izuku grew closer to class 1-A in their short talks and interactions with each other. Just as he had formed a close bond with Mina, some other students seemed to have formed friendships as well. Kaminari and Jiro teased each other, but it was a little... _rougher_ and _mean_ compared to what he and Mina had. Uraraka and Hagakure both had bubbly and playful personalities, and covered a variety of subjects from bargian-shopping to fashion. Kirishima appeared successful in befriending Bakugou, as they now legitmately talked about things, one of which was comparing workout regimens. Shoji and Todoroki were spotted giving each other short nods and occasional words, every friendship starts somewhere, right? The only one not making contact with anyone was the bird-headed Tokoyami, who looked like he was... _professionally brooding._

"Hey Midoriya?", Tsuyu Asui caught Izuku's attention.

"Oh, yes Asui-san?"

"Just call me Tsu. I tend to say whats on my mind, your quirk is kind of like ours."

"Like yours?"

"Well, not mine but, like others. That black armor of yours is like Kirishima's Hardening quirk. Your invisibility is shared with Toru, and your legs rival Iida's. Even your strength is comparable to Sato's, hearing like Jiro...need I go on?"

"H-How do you know about my hearing?!?"

"Educated guess", Tsuyu shrugged.

"Hey hey hey, Izu just _happens_ to have a really good quirk. He's copying our best traits, so what? I think it's really flattering you decided to copy my eyes, Izuku."

"I, uh, I-I didn't..."

"Oh? So you don't think my eyes are fantastic, is what you're saying?", Mina jabbed at Izuku, eager to see his reclusive evasion.

 _God,_ _he's so cute when he's embarrassed._

A pause, a realization.

 _Wait...cute?_

"Mina, leave Midoriya-bro alone, he's had a long d-"

"I-I think your eyes are _wonderful_ , Mina!", said Izuku before he could stop himself.

Silence came over the bus as Izuku and Mina both started muttering and stammering, eager to clear up what must've been a misunderstanding of some sort. Mina's cheeks flushed a dark lilac as she wrestled the storm of violently powerful thoughts and emotions around her head, trying to make some sense of it. Jiro discretely passed Kaminari a significant sum of yen along with a huff of defeat.

 _Jesus, Mina, get ahold of yourself. He's complimented you before, how is this any different? He stares at your eyes for crying out loud! The embarrased teasing thing, he's cute like a puppy, like a shy robotic puppy...right? No reason to feel...what I'm feeling. If that IS what I'm feeling, I..I don't know. It's too early to tell. WAYYYYYY too early. Say something!_

"H-Hey Izu, I uh-"

Then, the bus stopped infront of a _massive_ dome. Aizawa, thank _god_ for that scruffy, beautiful man, broke the awkward tension in the air.

"Students, let's go. You are about to meet another hero."

Once they got off the bus, they were introduced to someone who looked like they were wearing a space suit with weird caps over their fingertips, but once they turned around, the class caught on immediately. Uraraka in particular seemed to be awestruck by none other than the Space Hero: Thirteen.

"Let us go inside without further delay, there is much for you to learn!"

"Looking foward to working with you!", respectfully acknowledged most of the class.

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxX

Inside the massive building, the students took in their surroundings with reactions of wonder, surprise, and anticipation. The dome was far bigger on the inside, with multiple disaster scenarios contained only by the sheer distance between them. Destroyed buildings, a raging fire, a wrecked ship, a mountain covered in snow, and so many more settings made the dome seem endless. Thirteen spoke to the students, having rehearsed a short speech beforehand.

"Greetings, students. I am Thirteen, and _this..._ IS THE UNFORESEEN SIMULATION JOINT! USJ for short! I personally designed this structure for the purpose of simulating natural and unnatural disasters, in which you will all participate in! Before I go into any further detail, I must speak with your teacher."

Thirteen walked over to Aizawa and spoke in a hushed tone, but Izuku heard things loud and clear.

"Aizawa-san, regarding All Might..."

Aizawa's eyes widened as he brought a finger up to his lips and tapped once at his ear, glaring at Izuku as he did.

"Ah, I see. I'll explain later."

 _What was that about All Might?_ _Why'd they stop talking?_

Returning to the crowd, Thirteen spoke of quirks, how they save lives and just as easily end them. She (or perhaps he) used her own quirk, Black Hole, which was capable of sucking up matter and turning it into dust, as an example. She went over their quirk usages so far, in Aizawa's test, All Might's combat training, and in Izuku's duel against Yaororozu, much to his embarrassment.

"...and today, you will be using your quirks to save lives. That is all I have to say."

After a polite applause from the enthusiastic crowd of students, Aizawa turned to them to start the activity, but stopped when he felt a chill down his neck, his finely tuned sixth sense alerting him to a disturbance. Turning towards the center of USJ, he spotted a purple void materialize, with far too many figures entering through it for his liking. He spotted the costumes of the individuals, most of their faces covered by masks or hoods, and came to his own conclusion.

"VILLAINS! Students, don't move."

"Why are they attacking here? How could they have known we would be here at this exact time?", diligently questioned Iida.

Izuku and Aizawa came to the realization immediately.

 _The infiltration..._

"Someone must have found a way to disable the sensors and-"

"Disrupt communications between USJ and the school beforehand", finished Aizawa. Due to it's relatively remote location, USJ is the safest place to strike directly at Yuuei from a villain's perspective, but to gather information and attack on the same day?

 _Arrogant villains._

"Kaminari, see if you are able to contact the school. Thirteen, protect the students, I will buy time for reinforcements", Aizawa put on his signature yellow goggles and prepared to engage the enemy. Izuku recognized the gear the moment he saw it.

 **Individual Profile: Pro Hero: Eraserhead, name acquired, Shouta Aizawa.**

 **Predatory hero with Erasure quirk, capable of nullifying the quirks of others, locking his opponents in a quirkless duel. Uses stealth tactics, armed and unarmed combat, and gadgetry to neutralize foes.** **Avoids press attention to minimize the information gathered by villains.**

"Eraserhead-sensei! Do you intend to fight them all by yourself? Your fighting style revolves around ambush and stealth, a group of that size will catch on to your erasure quickly, a frontal assault is downright suicidal!", warned Izuku.

 _No sugar coating on that one, Midoriya? About time._

"Students, _Bakugou_ and _Midoriya_ , do not assist me in this fight. The villains are here for you, and we can not allow them to gain any further control of the situation than they already have. Thirteen, evacuate the students..."

"Also, a hero can't be a one trick pony, Midoriya", and with that last remark, Eraserhead jumped into the fray.

 _There is merit to the boy's words, but I do not rely on quirks and equipment alone. The simplest solution is usually the best one_ , thought the pro hero Eraserhead as he punched a villain square in his jaw.

"Woah...he's beating them _all_."

"That's what it means to be a pro..."

"It's almost like he's dancing.."

"Our teacher is so cool!"

3 more figures emerged from the portal, the first, a tall, lanky man with disembodied hands covering his face and body, radiating murderous intent. The second, a massive, pure black beast of human with a birdlike head, with the exception of a fully exposed brain. He looked as though his humanity was stripped from his core, and stood still as a statue. Last was the portal's substance itself, taking a vague gaseous form, and with him, the last of the villains entered USJ.

"Students, we must evacuate!"

"Izu stop fanboying and let's go!"

Reluctantly breaking away from Aizawa's awesome dispensation of justice, Izuku followed the group to the exit, but were all blocked by that same mysterious portal substance now in frint of them. The portal rose up, higher and higher, until it towered over the students. Two eye-like slits of light in the villains gaseous form peered at them from the abyss as he spoke.

"It may be presumptuous of us, but we let ourselves in, we are... _T_ _he League of Villains_! We are here to end the reign of the Symbol of Peace, **All Might**. One question remains, however, where is he? Our intelligence suggests he was scheduled to be here, but he is not."

 **Combat Assessment: In Progress**

 **Threat: Unknown**

 **??? possess a form of portal or warping quirk, that allows himself and others to be transported to various locations. Most likely serves as a utility as opposed to a combatant. Physical form is either shrouded by gaseous substance, or composed of it.** **Reccomended course of action: Gather more** **information.**

 _He isn't here to directly kill us_ _, he would be defeated by our sheer numbers! He wants to scatter us_ _with whatever those portals are!_

The villain continued his speech, "It matters not, for that is not my role to play. My presence here, _is to kill every single one of you students._ "

Bakugou and Kirishima tensed up, and only Izuku caught it in time. "KACCHAH, STAY OUT OF THIRTEEN'S WAY!"

He glared at Izuku with a partial killing intent, but held himself back a bit longer, begrudgingly accepting whatever plan Deku had. Kirishima followed suit and just nodded. Thirteen took this as her time to make a choice, between of lives of her students, or the life of a villain. Unfortunately, she was in no position for non-lethality.

"I may not be a combat hero, but I cannot let you harm my students! Surrender, or be _devoured by the empty void of space_!"

Thirteen let out a shout before uncapping one of her fingers, and unleashed her extremely lethal quirk on the villain. Massive pressure and tornado winds wrestled with the villain's amorphous form, exposing a metallic brace in its shroudlike form. It seemed victory was at hand, as he was pulled closer and closer to Thirteen. Until the last second, of course.

Faster than anyone could react, a portal opened up directly behind Thirteen, and the intense winds from her quirk ate into her back instead, tearing a massive hole into her spacesuit. She couldn't even scream as she fell limp on the ground. The shrieks and gasps of terrified students shook the air.

 _"Iida, you have to escape and get help"_ , whispered Izuku.

Iida straightened his glasses and nodded. He did not feel okay leaving his friends and classmates, not in the slightest, but nobody else was coming for them, regardless if they defeated this one villain or not. Besides, he was just given a direct order by class deputy, it would be nothing short of dishonorable to disobey. Before he could stop him however, Midoriya walked foward.

"Everyone, stand back. _I'll deal with him_."

Izuku extended his arm blades and took his place at the front of the crowd, putting on a false front of bravado to convince the villain who the real threat was. Hopefully, before whatever happened to him, Iida would escape and save the rest of the class. Bakugou figured his plan out, but Mina and most of the class could not _possibly_ understand why Izuku was going out there, exposing himself to this _thing_.

"Do you intend to _end my life_ with those blades of yours, young man? I don't believe you are capable, physically or otherwise. If you wish for a prolonged death, step foward, and I will make yet another example..."

Iida prepared himself.

With a fierce, uncharacteristic war cry of _DIE!_ Izuku dashed towards the villain and thrusted foward, attempting to predict where that metal brace was, but whether he missed or the villain dodged, he lost his mark.

"Caught sight of that, did you? Congratulations. I deem you worthy of polluting my warp gates with your entrails!"

 _Polluting his warp gates?_

Suddenly, the ground below him opened up, and Izuku narrowly avoided being split in half by the wrap gate as it rapidly closed, but his left arm blade was not so lucky, as nearly the entire blade was severed.

 _Guess I should be thankful I can't feel those._ _Time for part two of the plan._

"Kacchan!"

"FINALLY!"

Bakugou literally blasted himself into the action and unleashed a massive explosion into the thick smoke villain, blowing away his cover and exposing the metal brace that contained his true body. Izuku rushed for it and tried to grab it, but faster than even his eyes could see, his right arm was engulfed in a shadowy warp gate up to his elbow.

Then, the gate closed.

The entire class stared in a mixture of shock, horror, and pure rage, except for one. Izuku gasped at the sheer pain his hyperactive mind was taking in, and stumbled back, holding what remained of his right arm as it dripped a golden ichor, staining the floor. The villain laughed at his victory.

"Having your classmate expose and distract me while you go for my true body...excellent improvisation. You're swift, but I have trained for decades. It may as well be _instant_...something I question however, is your choice to retract your blades and reduce your range at the last second, if you had not, you may have found your mark. Why?"

Izuku's pain suppressants kicked in and the boy found himself able to stand up straight and speak again, albeit with some difficulty.

"T-They...they..."

The villain chose to allow him his last words, if only to satisfy his curiosity.

"They were not the distractions. _I was the distraction._ "

 _Creak..._

Everyone looked at the exit to USJ, the door creaked ever so slightly, but was forced open enough for a student to get through. Someone had escaped. The students of class 1-A knew immediately, but the villain had no such luxury. His voice's tone turned from amusement to a forced, deadly calm.

 _"Well. Done._ _Tell me your name."_

"Izuku Midoriya."

 _"Congratulations on your victory, Midoriya, it will be your last. Farewell."_

With those last words, the villain opened a portal underneath him, and Izuku fell into the void.

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxX

 _Well, this sucks. This REALLY...no._ _Mom always said to focus on the positives first. Let's see...Iida escaped, everyone knows that smoke villain has a weak point so maybe they can fight him, and Aizawa is actually the badass Eraserhead._

 _Okay, NOW lets focus on the negatives. Thirteen is out of commission, possibly dead. That smoke villain is still very capable of killing or scattering some students before being overwhelmed, and can instantly escape at any time. My **fucking arm** was just cut off, and I'm hurdling towards what looks like a very large body of water from a height of at least a few hundred feet. Once I impact the water I'm gonna have the wind knocked out of me and, oh yeah, I still can't swim, arms or no. Hopefully it isn't too deep..._

Izuku plummeted down to Earth and adjusted his body to hit the water feet first before doing exactly that. The rush of water overwhelmed his senses, but thankfully he was perfectly capable of seeing clearly under the water, at least for now. He sank further and further beneath, the rays of sun growing dim. His ears picked something up, however, a noise from down under, in the dark. It got close enough for him to see it on his thermals.

 _A_ _villain? Please don't have a ranged quirk..._

Lady Luck favored him that day. The villain's quirk gave him a shark-like appearance, evidenced by his extremely fast swim speed. The shark approached Izuku from directly underneath and rushed upwards to deliver a gut-ripping bite, but would be denied his glory that day. Izuku punched the man directly in the nose and grabbed his thick throat with his remaining hand, bringing his... _ears_ close to his mouth as he struggled in his grasp.

 _"Swim. Up. Now."_

The man understood him, and swam upwards to the surface, to the light. Izuku wrapped his hand around the villain's torso to secure himself and withstand his breakneck swim speed. When they breached the surface of the water, the augmented student saw they were not alone. Surrounding them were other villains with aquatic type quirks. Izuku felt a shiver down his spine, but not one of fear. This shiver was familiar and...electric.

 _A new augmentation!_ _Please be wings, or flippers or...something that helps me move..._

 **New Augmentation: Pheramone Emitter - Fear.**

 _Fear? Well...okay._ _That's disappointing._

"Goddamnit, did you seriously get taken hostage by _kid_ _with one arm_?!?", yelled an aquatic villain with an intimidating mask, or worse, his actual face.

 _Hostage? Huh...o_ _kay, it's just acting right? I hope this works..._

Before the villain in his grasp could respond, Izuku activated the fear and shifted his remaining hand over to his hostage's throat and extended his arm blade as far as he could, a stunning half-foot since it was damaged by that wrap gate. He twisted his face into a cruel grin and brought the blade closer into his throat, drawing blood in the process, but not going through muscle.

 _It's just acting. Everything's gonna be okay._

"Good evening, you subhuman wastes. My name is **Deku** , but from what I see, that applies more to you than it does me. They really did just pick some degenerates off the streets and dropped them in a pond without telling you how deep the water is, huh? They didn't tell you what my quirk is either, did they?"

Some of the villains looked angry at the insults, but some actively shifted at his words, as uncertainty was sown in their thoughts. The fact that one of their allies had a blade at his throat and the kid was goddamn _smiling_ at the whole thing wasn't reassuring them of their advantage.

"Hm, I thought not. My quirk really speaks for itself, and my _unusual_ appearance is a byproduct, as I nearly killed myself with it at a very young age, unfortunately every other person within a few hundred feet did not have the same luck. It's called **Electric Storm**."

The vast majority of villains were now clearly unnerved, some had swam away to put as much distance as possible between them and electric death, while the masked villain stood, er, swam his ground.

 _Damn, he must be a leader type_ _individual._

"We do not wish for death, Deku. That being said, our ally is still in your hands, and from what you've told me, you wouldn't hesitate to kill him and all of us after he brings you to shore. Why should I lay down and let you kill us without a fight?"

Izuku kept his wicked grin.

"Because you won't get close anyways, your forces are in _fear_ , they wouldn't dare take up arms. It would only be you, cutting off any chance of mercy in some vain attempt to rescue him. If things go my way, you have a chance. If not..."

Izuku tightened his grip on the hostage, momentarily strangling him in front of all of them.

"Fine. I surrender", spat the lead aquatic villain.

"Excellent. Dear _pet_ , lead me to shore please", Izuku commanded.

"Y-Yes...", nearly choked out the almost crying shark-quirk villain.

The shark swam towards shore before walking onto the land, where Izuku gained control over his movement and unhanded the villain. He stared at the augmented hero awkwardly and realized...he wasn't afraid of him anymore. Not even slightly. It's as if a switch in his head was turned off and he saw Deku again, as a kid with a missing arm that he was being paid a lot to kill. He shoul-

"I still have the blade in my arm, incase you forgot. Make a move and I'll gut you, and all your friends once this is over. Or, get in the water and I'll never see you again."

Maybe he could let the kid go just this once...

Izuku watched as the aquatic villains recieved their comrade, and took in a deep breath as he realized just how close he was to dying for the second time that day. Sighing, he looked over to Aizawa cleaning up the last of the low grade thugs. He was certainly moving slower than he was when he started, and his hair was not up as much. So that signals his quirk use...

Then, one of the more dangerous looking villains with the macabre hand decor sprinted towards him, and grabbed Aizawa's binding cloth as it was thrown at him. Aizawa went in with an elbow thrust, while also dodging a grab from the villain at the same time. Unfortunately, he was far stronger than he looked, and managed to grab his elbow before it could fully wind him. The teacher's elbow started flaking and disintegrating, the clothes and outer layer of flesh disappearing before him. Aizawa gasped and punched him with his free hand before retreating. Other thugs used the opportunity to attack but were still easily defeated, leaving Eraserhead and his enemy in a glaring contest.

 _A touch based disintegration quirk_? _Aizawa_ _must've overused his erasure by now fighting that army, he_ _needs my help_. _W_ _ith me we can beat them_ _, and then he'll be able to shut down that warp gate guy._ _Iida, please hurry..._

Izuku activated his Invisibility and stalked the blue haired villain, approaching from his flank as he continued to stare at the pro hero. He was nearly in range...

"Little BRAT, there aren't nearly enough screams to cover up your stomping!"

 _Damnit! I'm not wearing my stealth boots._

He attempted to grab Izuku, but with the lack of a visible body to grab it was easily dodged and countered with a rib-breaking punch of his own. The villain's breath hitched as he retreated, but was covered up by a bloodthirsty growl. He...gave up?

"Well...I can't quite fight off Eraserhead and his robotic one-armed _brat_ with broken ribs, can I? I didn't want to damage him, but desperate times right? This is a hell of a mini-boss encounter", he looked up towards the inhuman, bird faced creature, who had been standing mechanically still this entire time.

Izuku pieced it together. They were here to kill All Might, but some lowly thugs and two legitmately dangerous villains couldn't possibly be enough to kill him. The answer to the puzzle was right in front of them the whole time, and so far it hadn't hurt a soul. He felt something wrap around his torso.

" **Nomu.** "

Izuku managed to track him with his eyes, but couldn't react in time to his sheer speed. He was pulled back by Aizawa's binding cloth just barely before that... **thing** could smash a mighty fist into the ground where he once stood, pulverizing the surface and knocking the heroes back from the sheer winds generated. Just like All Might when he defeated the sludge villain.

 **Combat Assessment: In progress.**

 **Threat: Unrivalled**

 **"Nomu" shows signs of genetic modification, allowing for supernatural strength, speed, and durability comparable with number 1 hero, All Might. Possess massive combat advantage over every other threat user has faced so far. Reccomend action: Activate Invisibility, escape.**

 _Aizawa must have erased_ _his quirk, is he truely that fast and strong without quirks?_ _He's like All Might!_

"Do you like him? My **Nomu** has been created specifically to kill **All Might** , but I don't think he'll take any damage killing you. May as well get the adds out of the way before the final boss, right? **Nomu** , k-"

A booming sound from the entrance of USJ captured the attention of those within.

 **"I AM HERE!"**

 _ **All Might.**_

Suddenly, the warp gate villain appeared next to the apparent leader of the pack. Much of his smokey mass was considerably reduced, to the point where you could see the outline of his metal chassis.

"Tomura Shigaraki, a student has escaped, the pros will be he-"

"No. Quiet. Don't ruin this. _He_ is here, and **Nomu** will crush him. He has too. All we've done...this is what it's led up to. The final fight...once he is _dead_ , we will leave..."

Shigaraki examined his ally a little more closely.

"Couldn't handle a few kids, Kurogiri? Pathetic."

 _Kurogiri_ directed his gaze towards Izuku, wet, mutilated, and worse for wear, but very much alive. Izuku glared back, an unspoken nemesis established between the two, that would have to be determined at a later time. Because right now, **All Might was not smiling.**

The titan of peace made his way towards the grand plaza of USJ, absolutely crushing every villain in his path to ensure no further interference. Like **Nomu** , he was too fast react to, even Izuku could barely track him with his eyesight. He tore off his tie and took his place by Eraserhead and Deku, raising his fists.

 **"Dear friends, I apologize for not being here when I was needed. Please stand back, and watch the number one hero in action!"**

All Might took in the situation before him. Shigaraki and Kurogiri, with another, unknown big guy who didn't look quite alive. Shouta Aizawa was breathing harshly, and through his goggles he could see his eyes red and bloodshot from quirk overuse. His elbow was injured and bleeding heavily, he needed to get to a hospital...and Midoriya..

The sight of one of his favorite students with a dismembered limb and stains of golden blood on his gym uniform sent earthquakes of rage and remorse through him. His failure to have his priorities in check is the reason why this had happened. That arm was _his failure._ His expression of valor he displayed in the combat exercise was all but gone, he looked _afraid_ now. However, his golden irisis shone through to him, and they showed him to still possess hope. Hope in him.

"All Might, that... **thing** , it's as strong as you are. They made it to fight you, and your t-...I mean.."

 _My time limit, Midoriya? You really don't just think about yourself, do you? To think the soul most worthy of One for All_ _will never hold it's power..._

All Might gave him a thumbs up and rejected his rage, choosing to smile instead. He couldn't lose control, no matter how angry he was at such _scum_ for hurting his students. He had to be act like a hero, not a vigilante. He had to set an example to his students.

 **"Thanks for the advice, young man, now** **please...get to safety. I have a feeling this is going to get messy."**

Midoriya nodded and ran to the stairs with Aizawa, making it halfway up before he heard a massive impact and a rush of wind. Turning around, he saw the raw devastation unleashed by the titans of good and evil. The ground itself broke before their blows, trees uprooted and flew as if they were tossed by tornadoes. Izuku stood and watched, fully captivated by the raw power emanating from his hero. He had a feeling he was going to be rewatching this particular memory until his dying day.

 **"I am the WORLD'S SYMBOL OF PEACE AND JUSTICE, and I will show you what these words truely mean...GO BEYOND, PLUS ULTRAAAAA!"**

With that last, glorious phrase, the Nomu was forcibly removed from USJ out of a massive hole in the ceiling that definitely was not there before. **All Might** had prevailed over evil once again, and secured USJ.

Next to Izuku, Aizawa gasped and closed his eyes, blinking repeatedly and cursing under his breathe from extreme pain.

 _How long has he been erasing his quirk? Aizawa-sensei..._

At the epicenter of the battle, All Might stood tall, glaring at the remaining villains. He wasn't moving, but he wasn't steaming either. It was only dust.

 _He must be trying to keep that form_ _in place._

Izuku did not need enhanced hearing to get a grasp on Shigaraki's emotional state, as he screamed out at the sky.

"GODDAMNIT! YOU WERE SUPPOSED TO BE WEAKER, BUT YOU HAVEN'T LOST A DAMN STEP! SHOCK ABSORPTION, SUPER-REGENERATION, A MODIFIED GENETIC MAKEUP...IT... **HE WAS PERFECT.** You...you _beat him_ as if he had _nothing!_ You filthy trash of society, I'LL FUCKING KI-"

" _Shigaraki._ This has been a crushing defeat, but we still have our lives and our freedom. If you go for him, I cannot guarantee our escape", warned Kurogiri.

An uncomfortable silence filled the battlefield as Shigaraki took in the information. He started scratching at his neck violently, shivering and muttering under his breath as he did.

"All Might. Symbol of Peace. We were clearly underprepared for this final boss encounter, but next time, we will kill you. I WILL SEE YOUR CORPSE BEFORE ME, AND I WI-"

 _Crack!_

From the entrance to USJ, a gunshot rang, then a few more, from the Western Hero, Snipe. The bullets found their mark in Shigaraki, embedding themselves in his arms and legs, before Kurogiri escaped through his warp gate, dragging the man-child along with him.

"The pro heroes!"

 _Kirishima..._

Izuku recognized the voice at the top of the steps, and remembered just how the last of his classmates saw him before he was warped away. He rushed up the stairs with newfound determination coursing through his artificial veins.

 _Mina_ _probably thinks I'm dead!_

When he reached the top, he was happy to find out that Thirteen was and all of his classmates were alive. Unfortunately, that meant that also meant Kacchan, who was stomping towards him at an increasingly fast pace.

" _Fucking stupid ass motherfucker WHO THE HELL DO YOU THINK YOU ARE?!?_ " damn near screamed his friend-rival. This, of course, gained the attention of all the students as well as some pro heroes.

"Uh...Hi, Kacchan?", meekly tried Izuku.

"DON'T FUCKING _HI KACCHAN_ ME, YOUR DUMBASS ALMOST GOT KILLED WHILE YOU WERE ON THAT _BEING A HERO_ BULLSHIT. I COULD'VE KICKED HIS ASS, YOUR GIRLFRIEND COULD'VE THREW SOME LETHAL SHIT AT EM' BUT NO, YOUR STUPID _I CAN'T LET ANYONE GET HURT KACCHAN_ ASS DECIDED TO GET YOUR FUCKING ARM CUT OFF JUST SO YOU COULD SAVE THEM!"

 _Wow, I don't think he's ever cared about me this much before._

"Well...it worked didn't it? Iida got out and got All Might and the pros over here..."

Katsuki Bakugou simply huffed and punched him in the shoulder that still had a full arm, knowing well that it would've hurt himself more than it would Izuku. Mina approached him, unsure of what to say.

Really, what was there to say? _"Oh hello Izu, glad you didn't die for the second time today. Could you maybe stop almost dying? It kinda freaks me out and makes me so scared I can't think properly without your stupid puppy dog face popping in every five seconds, thanks."_

Feeling too emotionally strained to be witty in any way, she just wrapped her arms around him and sighed, remembering the tears that shamelessly flew out when he was taken from her.

 _Them. Us. He was taken from us. Ugh._

Izuku returned the hug without hesitation, doing his best to ignore the fact the hug wasn't quite complete without a certain limb of his. She massaged her fingers through his hair and sighed into his shoulder.

 _Was she really this worried? I'm so sorry Mina._

"Don't be, you...you're a real hero. You were always _my_ hero since the entrance exam, but now the class sees you the same way. At least, they better. I'm not mad at you Izuku...I just wish you didn't have to get hurt to keep us...to keep _me_ safe. That's a really bad habit of yours...will the arm grow back?"

 _Shit._

"If...if my face can grow back after being turned into goo, I should be able to grow my arm back."

"Ah. Great.."

 _She's still upset._ _What do I say to her? This is all so new to me._ _What would All Might do?_

Izuku remembered his very first sight of the hero, from before his quirk manifested. All Might saving hundreds from that disaster, his signature smile proudly displayed.

 _He would make her smile._

"Well...I gotta _hand_ it to you, Mina, you sure know how to make someone feel appreciated."

Mina raised an eyebrow. Did he just...?

"Man, _No-munder_ my comedy act never took off."

Mina felt light all of a sudden. Was he really making _puns_ about this?

"Liked that one? Guess it's a _warp_ then."

"I-Izu s-stop!", Mina couldn't help but smile at his genuine attempt at comedy. For a robot he had a pretty decent delivery.

 _Time for the grand finale!_

"What if I don't stop? Will everything still be _All-Might?_ ", finished Izuku, while also molding his face into his best All Might impression which he had been practicing in secret for years.

"HAHAHAHAHAHA OHMY GOD IZUKU! WHAT'S WITH THAT _FACE_ HAHAHAHA!"

What started as a slightly amusing joke turned into full on laughter, and Izuku couldn't possibly be more proud of himself for making her smile. That beautiful, adorable smile that made him want to hold her close and...

 _I'M STILL HOLDING HER CLOSE._

Mina felt Izuku's frame stiffen considerably in her arms, and judging from the violent shades of red on him, he just now realized how close he was being with her. Normally she would've found this situation funny and maybe would've broken some boundaries to mess with him a little...but this time, something had changed. She could feel it. Their relationship wasn't quite the same anymore. What started as fun teasing turned into something more, something noticeable. Their grip on each other wasn't something done out of neccesity anymore, they were both _choosing to touch each other_. She was doing this because...it felt good.

 _I...I like him. I have legit feelings for you, Izu._

Coming to terms with herself, she tightened her grip on Izuku Midoriya and looked directly at him, despite the heavy blush now accommodating both of their faces, and gave him a signature prize-winning Ashido smile. She was pleased to feel him relax his stiff grip, while still keeping firm, and smiled at her back.

 _This...this is good._

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxX

 **Author's Notes:** Okay okay, I know what you're thinking. _Really Delusional? His first new augmentation and it's a crappy new pheramone thing that'll barely be used?_ To be honest, one of the reasons I stuck with that is because of Tsuyu's convo with Izuku at the beginning of the chapter, where he is already copying a bunch of characters. That's not to say his new augs will be completely unique, I am a bit of a copycat, but I just didn't want to restrict him to combat. He will get new things, dont worry. Also, I gave them names finally.

 _The Calm_ \- The first one you saw. This is the one that soothes and saps emotions from those affected.

 _The Fear_ \- The one you just saw, increases feelings of doubt and self preservation.

 _The Storm_ \- The one you've yet to see, the opposite of the calm.

USJ was a hard chapter for me, since it's comprised of like 3 episodes, and they _already did everything right_. Nearly all of the cast _does_ something here, and the plot is super fucking sturdy, so changing it in a way that still makes sense is difficult. However, as this is more of an Izuku based story, I sacrificed the others, and for that I am sorry.

I like Kurogiri, his concept, his quirk, his damn-near parental attitude. It's a great contrast to handboi and he kinda serves as a medium between Where's-My-Chapstick and Big Daddy. It pisses me off that he's considered a "B-Rank villain". That being said, I kinda increased his combat potential just a wee bit, with him being able to open and close wrap gates almost instantly. I also made him have a bit of a personal grudge against Izuku for fucking up his role. I may have something going between the both of them later.

 **ALRIGHTY, LETS RESPOND TO SOME REVIEWS AND QUERIES.**

Reviewer Cyde, Aizawa initially did not care about how class representative was chosen because, from my view, it didn't really have much to do with being a hero. It entailed extra responsibility, yeah, but many of the responsibilities of class rep wouldn't really benefit Aizawa's mindset. He is a stealth hero who stays off the radar as much as possible, so to him, the lessons learned from class rep is neccessary at best, to compromising at worst. Once Yaororozu suggested a trial by combat, his interest peaked up, because suddenly, instead of making people agree with each other (something he has nearly no use in practicing), they are now fighting, which tests their body, quirk, and intelligence. He agreed to it and forced Izuku along because something unproductive to him was suddenly turned productive.

Hardcasekara, Recovery Girl absolutely chewed him the fuck out, you can be assured of that. It just happened while bb Izu was sleeping.

Glmo11, Izuku's methods of engagement are purely focused on melee combat for the unforeseeable future. A blaster or firearm would negate his bodily upgrades, and also make the series surprisingly easy. _So many_ of these villains and heroes could be taken down with a well placed shot, as shown by Snipe.

John-017, I AM adding more augs to him as time goes on, maybe even from Mankind Divided, I'm just starting smol.

coduss, I am _well aware_ of the awkwardness of the comparison, and have no intention of taking it out. Nothing like a 4th wall break to keep y'all on your toes (at least, in the U.S.). Izuku being interrupted during his badass _I am here!_ line was actually from one of my very first rough drafts for a quirked Izuku story, I didn't want it to go to waste is all. As for the MomoIzuku thing I put in there, lets just say that the one thing magicians, horror stories, and traitors should never, ever do, is show their full hand. The trick/monster/backstabbing is effective because of the unknown elements.

you know not, Yaororozu did infact sneak the magnet into the box, that being said, nobody from the walkways actually knew what it was, barely anyone was looking at her at the time she did it, which was when Izuku was scrambling for cover and everyone was looking at him. I ask for a minor suspension of disbelief here. Also...yeah, you caught me. Shoto "I'm like the hand crusher or something" Todoroki made me laugh so hard when I heard him say that, so it's a bit of a running gag for me. Although he lost half his arm, he lost his hand too, so I consider that a triumph.

The english version of the fight is 100 times better than the sub, fight me.

Also, thanks you know not for pointing out some spelling errors, _how embarrassing!_

Up next, the aftermath of USJ and whatever else pops up in my head.

 **-Delusional777**


	11. Textile Epidermis

After USJ, all the students were to be taken to Recovery Girl's infirmary before being questioned by police. To think villains would directly strike at the number 1 hero school chilled her to the bone. From early reports, only one student received serious injuries.

 _Hm. So long as it isn't that troublesome Midoriya I should be able_ _to stabilize them..._

Enter Midoriya and company.

 _Fuck_.

Supported (unnecessarily, it looked like) by Bakugou and Iida, with Ashido alongside them, the injury-prone student walked into her infirmary, with a grisly wound to his right arm, which was all but removed at the elbow. The mentioned student shuffled uneasily, showing signs of social anxiety, not excruciating pain.

"Recovery Girl-san, I..."

"Boy, just sit down. I think we both know there's not much I can do about this, but as official nurse of Yuuei, I must formally examine you before I can let you loose to fulfill your urge for injury _again_ , understand? Please, stay still. Am I correct in assuming there are no other major injuries?"

"Correct, no other students received injuries greater than a scrape, Shuzenji-san!", confirmed Iida.

 _Good. I suppose it's fortunate that an injury this severe happened to someone as durable as Midoriya...that being said, Midoriya likely only received this injury because he would willingly place himself in dangerous situations._

"Hm. Your quirk grants you a particularly high pain tolerance. How much pain can you feel?"

"It's all numb. I can't feel anything past my shoulder."

 _No wonder he hurts himself so much. He likely hasn't felt immense, prolonged pain since before his quirk developed fully._ _Rules out masochism, meaning his natural, relatively healthy mind simply disregards the dangers in favor of doing what it believes is right. Reminds me of a certain someone..._

"This is an _extremely_ clean cut. I doubt this was done by some knife-wielding maniac, especially through such dense material. How were you injured?"

The boy grimaced. A natural response.

"I...a villain named _Kurogiri_ used his warp gate quirk to get those villains into and out of USJ. He closed a gate that my arm was in and...I don't know where it is."

"I'll make sure you're informed if it's found."

 _Teleportation quirks are very rare_ _, yet the villains would risk their main utility by having him participate in combat? Hard to believe they attacked just to hurt some children..._

After finishing her examination of Midoriya and putting everything in fine print, Recovery Girl turned him over to the police. Knowing full well another certain individual with a knack for hurting himself would be in for a checkup as well, the no-longer-youthful heroine prepared herself some tea.

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxX

Directly after the infamous "USJ Incident", the city of Musutafu erupted in a roar of doubt, worry, and shame. The greatest hero academy in Japan, successfully attacked before the week's end. It was rumored that students received injuries, with one unlucky student in particular losing part of their body to the villains. That very same student was escorted home by police personnel after an examination by Recovery Girl and questioning by school staff and police. That's to say, he got home _very late._ Steeling his nerves and preparing himself, he opened the door to greet his mother.

"Mom pleasedontfreakoutitsokay!"

"IZUKU WHAT THE _FUCK_ HAPPENED TO YOUR ARM!?!"

 _Did she just...? She never does that..._

Immediately recoiling in shock of herself, Inko Midoriya collapsed to the floor and cried, and cried and cried and cried, and just when she felt done crying, she cried once more for good measure. One of her nightmares had come true, yet to come true so soon was horrible. Her baby boy was attacked by villains and _missing half his arm!_

"I-I-Izuku...h-how?"

Seeing his own mother break down like this was heartbreaking for the boy. While she was known for losing her composure and being worrisome, this broke the limits of everything he'd seen so far. His heart became submerged in a guilty substance, and it was golden.

"I...you heard about the attack at USJ, right? My class was there and...I didn't want anyone to get hurt. I couldn't let them seperate us like they planned...because if they were able to do that while I was there, when I could've _done something_...how would I ever be a hero?", Izuku's voice broke near the end. He had never seriously considered how his mother would be affected by the dangers of his job, always wondering if her boy was going to get himself killed one day. Never before had he just wished for a day to end as badly as he did now. The idea of sleep and unconsciousness appealed to him far more than it had before.

"I-I love you, Izuku. I know you want to be a hero more than anything in the world, I-I just want you to b-be h-happy...but you have to stay _alive too_.."

"I will mom, I promise."

Izuku hugged his mother, stayed up a bit with her, and helped her with dishes that day, two arms or no.

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxX

Izuku woke up the next day, unpleasantly unsurprised to find himself completely refreshed and full of energy. Yuuei was cancelled that day, in favor of an official investigation by staff and police into the USJ Incident. Internet speculation ran rampant, with hundreds of articles theorizing the villains' goal. It amused Izuku to see how inaccurate their guesses were, though it was hardly surprising. Breaking into a school full of heroes to kill the most powerful hero? It was outlandish and plain stupid, no one would ever guess that's how it really went down. After laying in bed for another hour on his phone, Izuku got up.

 _I feel like a trainwreck, but my body feels like it could wreck that train._ _Does that even make sense? Ugh._ _Sometimes the atmosphere doesn't match the scene..._

Something he took notice of, however, was that his injured arm grew back about four inches, the metallic appendage having glossed over the "open" end of the wound.

 _Ah. That's...no, that's good. This is great. Almost nobody grows their arms back, don't be selfish...it's great._

"Izuku~, you have a visitor!", his mother called to him from the kitchen.

 _Oh? Must be Kacchan. Weird, he usually sends some angry texts before coming over to drag me to training..._

Deciding to stay in his All-Might pajamas, Izuku figured he could use a break today given his condition. Kacchan would probably understand right?

 _Probably not._

When he opened his bedroom door, he saw something _very_ unexpected.

"I-Iida?!?"

In the flesh, Tenya Iida awaited him outside his door, wearing semi-formal blue clothing that could only be described as _dads playing golf_ , and started performing his erratic hand gestures.

"Good morning, Midoriya-san. With the absence of both class representative and deputy assistant, I have taken it apon myself to accompany Bakugou, Ashido, Uraraka, Hagakure, and Kirishima in their journey to your home. I must say, I did not expect humble beginnings from such a promising fellow student, but if anything, it is a testament to your willpower and intelligence to push through regardless!"

"Oh I like him!", Izuku's mother chuckled at the sheer _finesse_ Iida displayed in acknowledging their financial situation.

In the living room, there sat all those Iida mentioned, with tea in their hand and smiles on their faces. At least, mostly. He couldn't really tell if Hagakure smiled or not. Izuku remembered his failed attempt on sneaking up on Shigaraki.

 _Hagakure...she could probably give me some tips on moving around quietly_ _without my boots.._

"HAH, NICE PJS IZU!", Mina spoke up a little louder than she needed too, earning her best friend some hollars and hoots from the crowd. Inko Midoriya smiled silently to herself, hoping she remembered to apologize to her son later for the embarrassment.

Izuku's face reddened yet again, as he ran back into his room, taking the All Might themed nameplate off the door before he did.

 _They're here! How did they get here? Only Kacchan knows where I live and he wouldn't go telling people for fun._

Unless, of course, the person who asked him was close to Izuku, persistent to a fault, vaguely knew Bakugou, and was socially competent enough to convince like-minded others to join her. Obvious.

 _Mina_ _, you're too nice. No, really._

After a lengthy session of undressing and redressing himself, Izuku Midoriya left his room wearing socks, jeans, and an All Might t-shirt. He was surprised to see his mother conversing with the students, talking about _him_.

"...he never talked to Izuku since! It's a shame they split apart because of something out of his control...ah and when he was 7, he grew those knives out of his arms, scared me half to death! _Oh_ , you know what? I think I have some _pictures_ of his pre-quirk days, I'll try and find them."

" _Mom..._ "

The crowd turned towards Izuku, some of them have clearly just finished laughing, while the rest simply smirked at him, eager to tease. Inko grinned mischievously and get off the couch, going to the kicthen to "wash some dishes".

"So...you're a fan of All Might, huh?", questioned Kirishima, his sharp teeth shining brightly when he spoke.

"Well...a little bit", sheepishly reponded the fanboy.

"I think it was more than a _little bit_ , Midoriya-kun!", Hagakure teased.

"It is," confirmed Bakugou.

"You should see his room!", guiltlessly called out Inko.

 _Izuku, I love you, but you really do have to make more friends. Ever since you and Shinso stopped talking..._

"Onward to Midoriya's room!", enthusiastically called out Uraraka, as the crowd got up and marched to Izuku's doom. The boy panicked and barricaded the door with himself, making sure to center his body over the doorknob and cover the rest with his fully remaining left arm.

"You don't wanna go in there, there's...nanobugs inside."

Bakugou scoffed, while Iida furrowed his brow.

"Nanobugs, Midoriya?"

"Uh...yeah. It's what happens when someone who has a mechanical type quirk has lice. That won't infect you, but they will bite, hard."

"Interesting, I've never heard of such a thing. I must thank you for protecting your fellow-"

"He's full of shit. Deku, let em see your geek ass room already."

"NO! Guys its kinda embarrassing..."

Surprised at the outburst, as well as taking note of his legitmate discomfort, Kirishima and Iida backed away from the door. Uraraka did the same, but the remaining girls were undeterred. Mina and Hagakure grabbed Izuku's left arm, pulling as hard as they could to try and budge him.

"C'mon Izu it's not that bad, I'm a hero nerd too ya know!"

"Let us in! Let us in! Let us in!"

"Good fu- er, good luck trying to budge him, the damn wall will break before you tear him away."

Struggling in vain, Hagakure gave up and backed off, panting and reclaiming her breath. Mina stayed and put her hands on Izuku's mechanical bicep, leaning in close so only he would hear.

 _"You know I could probably tickle you into defeat, but I don't wanna embarrass you or anything. How about you show me what it looks like later, just us two okay?"_

Izuku nodded, knowing this was probably the best deal he was going to get out of her, as well as wanting some personal space back. Her face was so _close_ and the faint aroma of strawberries gently caressed his senses.

Wait, since when did she smell like strawberries?

Once he was assured he gained victory over his privacy, Izuku relented his guard and joined the others on the couch, sitting on the farthest end he could. Mina made sure she was last to sit down, claiming the spot next to him. Amidst the chaos and embarrassment, there was a very crucial question that needed to be asked that he had previously neglected.

"Hey guys, not that I don't mind your company but...why are you here? Also how?"

"Well, I was worried about you Izu, losing an arm is kinda a big deal. Thing is, these guys were worried too! They asked me where you lived, but I didn't know, and I couldn't ask _you_ cause the police got their hands on ya, so I asked _him_ where you lived, and he told me to...well you could probably guess what he told me to do, but then the rest of us started asking too, so he finally gave up, but said he was coming with. He didn't say why though..."

"O-Oh! Well that's actually _really_ nice of you guys, thanks! Sorry there's not really much to do here but um...Ah!"

Izuku stuck out his injured right arm the best he could, tracing his thumb over the end of it.

"My arm will grow back eventually! It grew about 4 inches overnight, but soon I'll have the entire thing back."

"Dang, does that mean you can grow back _anything_?", asked Kirishima.

"I'd rather not find out to be honest."

Uraraka listened intently.

 _If his arm can grow back, does that mean the old one still works?_ _If it still works that means it would probably sell for alot. There have been times where quirked body parts can be successfully transplanted..._ _so if he lost another arm..._

Uraraka paled in fear of herself.

 _What the hell is wrong with me?!? He sacrificed that fighting an evil smoke monster and I'm thinking about money?_

Inko finished up a kitchen cleaning and looked at the couch, overflowing with children, laughter, questions, and conversation. The best part of it all? Her little boy was participating in all of it!

"This tea is exemplary!", complimented Iida when he took notice of her.

"Why, thank you!"

 _My dear Izuku finally has a group of friends! I'm so proud of him, he has good judgment with people, especially that tall one. So many girls too...though if I had to guess..._

She fixed her gaze at Ashido, though "Mina" was the name she heard more often than not, from her boy's own lips. Pink skin, eyes like Izuku's, and horns! Who knew her child would grow up to be so _deviant?_ She appeared to be very social as well, with high bursts of energy that simply refused to let the conversation die, switching from one topic to the next. They contrasted each other in nearly every way, only sharing eyes, yet somehow, it worked. She wasn't just making him talk to her, she was making him talk to everyone!

"Hey guys, wanna play some video games at my house?", offered Ashido.

"Sounds like a good time!"

"You better not be one of those _play for fun_ types..."

"I-I've never played to be honest."

"I've played a little before, Mom is that okay?"

His mother gave her sweetest smile.

"Of course, dear. Be back by 8!"

"Aw YEAH, let's go!"

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxX

The teens left the Midoriya household and followed Ashido's lead, who happily hummed to an upbeat rhythm as they walked down the sun scorched sidewalks. Some passersby glanced at the unusual group of a pink girl with horns, a floating pair of clothes, an extremely young father with engine legs, a robot amputee, and two normal teens. Yet, the group paid them no mind, happily engaged in their own activities.

"I can probably guess why All Might's your favorite, Midoriya-bro."

"How so?"

 _He's probably gonna say how strong he is or something, being that he's friends with Kacchan._

"Cause he's MANLY as hell!"

 _Called it._

"I don't mean strong though...I figured that you're pretty strong, but from what you showed everyone at...you know, USJ, is that you're the kinda person always willing to help people out, even if it might get you killed. Just like All Might, you've got that "hero" attitude engraved in your brain or something. To me, that's pretty manly!"

 _Woah..._

Mina turned around, walking backwards with surprising control.

"That's _so_ true! You guys already saw the video of the entrance exam I showed you, Izu here didn't even _hesitate_ to save me from that giant robot. He should've been racking up more points, but he went after me instead..."

Mina reached out and poked Izuku's chest, firmly pressing her finger over his heart, or rather, it's replacement organ.

"My knight _of_ shining armor! You've got more heart than any "normal" human I've met!"

Happily embarrassed by Kirishima and Ashido, Izuku just smiled and covered his face, nearly crying from the sheer influx of pride and happiness he felt.

"I think it's fuckin' weird how he doesn't blink."

 _Damnit Kacchan, I was having a moment._

"Oh my god, same?!?"

"I do not ever recall seeing Midoriya blink, now that I think on it."

"I guess a robot wouldn't really need to blink..."

Mina and Izuku just sighed at the spoiled moment, but even the sigh was interrupted by a man in a dark hoodie colliding into Mina, knocking her over onto the sidewalk.

"Ah!"

"Oh my."

His voice was smooth, but gravelly as well, as though he was sick with something.

"I apologize for bumping into you, I was not paying proper attention as I should've."

Something about him did not sit right with Izuku. His was pretty clothed for the heat, and his face was mostly obscured. The man offered his hand to Mina, which she hesitantly took, and allowed herself to be pulled up with almost no effort.

"O-Oh it's okay, really! I was the one walking _backwards_ , hah."

The hooded man only nodded his head, before directing his attention to Izuku.

"Young man, may I ask how you received that injury?"

Izuku tensed under the stranger's question, but chose to answer it before Kacchan started a fight.

"I don't see how that's any of your godd-"

"I received it during the attack at USJ."

"He valiantly sacrificed himself for us, and succeeded in preventing any major injuries. You see, we were all involved in USJ", concluded Iida.

The man paused and thought it over before replying.

"I see. You have the makings of a real hero. Villains with so little purpose as to break into Yuuei just to strike down kids disgust me. Thank you for answering my question. Goodbye."

The man walked past them, before rounding a corner.

"He seems...huh."

"Yeah."

"You shouldn't have told him shit, four eyes."

"Perhaps you're correct."

"Are you alright, Mina?"

Mina offered a reluctant smile. "Oh it's fine Izu, let's keep going. Creepy guy or no, he seemed alright!"

Izuku allowed himself to relax.

"Yeah, I guess so..."

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxX

Apon reaching the Ashido household, Izuku was blown away at how _big_ it was. It was a legitmate house, with multiple front facing windows and everything. She looked down at her phone, deftly scrolling through menus and interfaces before acknowledging a single text for a 10th of a second and putting it away.

"Alright...ahem... _We Are Here!_ The door should be open.."

Opening the door, Mina casually strolled in, with Hagakure doing the same. Kirishima and Iida entered with more caution, taking a moment to observe their surroundings. Uraraka seemed awestruck by the house like Izuku, her expression remaining as she went in. Bakugou simply waited for his training partner go in first.

 _I'm about to go into a girl's house...no, it's not like that. It's just Mina, and we're here to play some friendly matches of...whatever she has._

Walking through the doorway, Izuku was assulted by a wave of discordant noise, categorized by many _loud_ and _overlapping_ voices, causing his internals to track them _all_ subconsciously, much to the displeasure of Izuku. He followed Uraraka in the hopes that they were going away from the chaos of it all.

"MINA, WHO ARE THESE NEW GUYS?", commanded a booming, friendly, and male voice.

"JUST FRIENDS FROM SCHOOL! REMEMBER WHEN I SAID I'D VISIT IZ- MIDORIYA'S PLACE WITH THE OTHERS TO CHECK ON HIM? WE'RE GONNA PLAY SOME VIDEO GAMES!"

"ALRIGHT SEE YA!", responded who may have been her father.

 _At least I know where she gets it from..._

"Hey Mina, is that your dad?"

"Yeah that's my dad, dont worry about him, dude's built like All Might and yells just as loud but he's a _total_ softie. C'mon, my room is just up here."

Going up a set of stairs and taking a right, the Yuuei students found themselves infront of a door, with a _Mina-Style_ nameplate on it. Opening the door and lazily sprawling out on her bed, Mina introduced them.

"Welcome to _Maison de Mina_! Pretty cute huh?"

Mina's room was, if it could be described simply, lively. However, it can't be described simply, at least not in Izuku's opinion. The overload of _stuff_ and _colors_ required his mind to take it's time time in absorbing all the information in. Her bed, pillows, even walls, were adorned in a black and hot pink pattern with similar style to her hero costume, with the difference of it being more snakey as opposed to splotchy. Other details stood out too, like the pillows covered in hot pink hearts, stuffed animals on the bed and on her dresser, and a coat rack covered in various outfits. Nearly every surface was covered in pink or black "fuzzy" material. It was clear what Mina's favorite colors were. The room reminded Izuku of one inescapable fact. Mina is a _girl_. A very _feminine_ one, at that.

"Wow Ashido-kun, I can tell it's yours just from looking at it!", possibly complimented Uraraka.

"That's the idea!"

"I did not imagine you the studious kind of individual, yet you have a surprising number of books in those bookcases", also possibly complimented Iida.

"Ahh, haha, studies, right."

"Nice poster", bluntly, but clearly complimented Kacchan, who gestured to an Alien poster on the wall.

"Oh yeah, those old movies are my favorite franchise!", excitedly squealed Mina, as she dug under her blankets and pulled out an Alien plushie, tossing it over to Izuku.

"What do _you_ think of my room Izuku "Small Might" Midoriya?"

Izuku blushed again, hiding his face with the alien plushie as he did so. The students gave a hearty chuckle at the teasing.

" _Ugh_ , she told you about that?"

"Your mom's really cool bro, but...she told us a lot of things. Sorry", Kirishima figured the poor dude was about to overheat with the sheer amount of embarrassment he'd gone through today.

"C'mon, answer the question!"

"I...I think it really represents you, like Uraraka said, but...it's so full of _life_ and _color_. It's like over time your positive and upbeat energy kinda seeped into it, and made it your own...does that make sense?"

Mina smiled at the boy's generous, although admittedly poorly phrased compliment. "Only a little, but I _love_ the way you said it. Alright, let's play something!"

Mina jumped up from her bed and turned on the TV in her room, picking up 4 controllers as she did so and tossing them on the bed. She began gliding through her bookcase, one section of which filled to the brim with video games.

"Alright I got Nintendo Racing, Pro Hero Smash, Immortal Conflict..."

As Mina continued on, Izuku and his new friends came to a chilling realization in their own ways apon picking up the controllers.

 _How is Midoriya going to play?_

"...ah and there's also Mineshaft but to be honest I have a feeling _Exsplodey Mcsploderson_ wouldn't enjoy it. So, what's your pick?"

Iida decided to break the news.

"There's a bigger problem than _fucking Mines-"_

"Excuse me, Ashido-san, but there is a significant problem that has not been accounted for...you see, Midoriya does not have both hands available to use the controller."

If Mina could pale, she would've.

 _Fuck! Fuck fuck fuck! How...HOW AM I SO STUPID? OF COURSE HE CAN'T PLAY VIDEO GAMES I...No. I can fix this. Somehow._

"I...Izu I am _so sorry_!"

"M-Mina it's f-fine, really. I hardly ever play video games and I'm happy just watching so-"

"NO! Sorry...that was loud. I mean, let's just share a controller, that could work right? How does Pro Hero Smash sound?"

"Hmpf."

"I'm good at that!"

"I shall _sit out_ in favor of letting someone else play. I have little experience in this field, I admit."

"Let's go Ashido-kun!"

Putting the game on and starting it up, Mina took her seat on the bed next to Izuku, sitting on his right to ensure he could fully use his left arm. The other three playing were Kirishima, Bakugou, and Hagakure. Mina already knew she wasn't going to win against Hagakure, but part of her was worried on how Bakugou would react to losing...because he _definitely_ wasn't going to beat her.

Setting up a match by herself, Mina then draped her left arm over Izuku, much to his surprise, and scooted closer, her warm thigh brushing up against his. She began to explain the basics of the game and his role as the left side of the controller, movement and such, while the right side controlled attacks and advanced techniques. They were brought up to the character selection screen. Izuku's eyes immediately found All Might amongst the vast array of pro heroes.

"I bet I know who you want to pick, Izu."

"Sorry, I don't mean to obligate you or anything..."

"Nah it's fine, I like playing him!"

 _Even if he is a little off-meta at the moment..._

Bakugou picked Vlad King, no surprise there. Kirishima picked Crimson Riot, maining him purely because he was his favorite in real life, and Hagakure...

Mina sighed.

 _Why do you always have to pick Edgeshot? This is supposed to be a friendly game_ _Toru!_

"Alright, ready?"

"Yeah!"

They were not ready. Immediately Hagakure and Bakugou cleaned house, mopping the floor with the soaps that were Mina, Izuku, and Kirishima. Showing a massive gap in skill level and reaction speed, the two professionals faced off against each other with deadly calm. Suddenly, the session of friendly videogame became less casual.

"Jeez Kacchan how are you so good? I didn't even know you played this!"

"My old hag was worried I couldn't _ever relax_ and that I was _too obsessed with training_ , so she bought me this when I was nine. Turns out, it's a decent test of reflexes."

 _That honestly makes a lot of sense, no one else can react on par with me like he can. If only I had both hands..._

"What about you, Hagakure-san? How long have you played this?"

"A year", she respond simply, too focused on the game to go further in detail.

"WHAT?!? HOW IN THE FUCK ARE YOU KEEPING UP WITH ME IN JUST A YEAR?!?"

"I dunno, I'm just really good, that's what Ashido says."

"That's amazing!", complimented Uraraka.

 _Just one year? She looks like she could keep up with pro players. How is..._

Izuku examined her playstyle a little closer, and noticed something crucial.

 _She prefers to remain on the offensive, using elaborately guided movement to bait out Kacchan's defenses and leave him vulnerable, yet she doesn't react as fast as he does whenever he is on the offense, choosing to retreat instead of block or parry..._ _hold on..._

"Hey, Hagakure-san, can you...see your own body?"

"Nope!"

 _That's it! She's able to pull off that kind of movement because she has perfect hand and finger dexterity, like me! She never had the luxury of knowing where her own hands and body parts are, so she's had to have developed super-awareness and control of her own body to survive as a child! That kind of control translates to video games perfectly, as she can push or pull the analog sticks and buttons with the exact amount of pressure required! No wonder she's so hard to hear..._

"Izu, did you really pick up all that just from watching her play?", Mina whispered in his ear.

 _Damnit, I was mumbling again!_

"Y-Yeah..."

"That's amazing! I bet she didn't even know that! You're smart as _hell_ , Izuku. I think that's why you're gonna be a great hero, you're really good at thinking."

Another rush of endorphins and good feelings bubbled inside him, just like before when they were walking to her house, and when she got _very_ close to him while he was barricading his own door. Taking great care not to say his thoughts aloud, Izuku sighed.

 _You make me feel happy._

"Hey, Mina?"

"Hm?"

"Thank you for checking up on me today, and not barging in my room, and sharing a controller with me just so I can be involved...and thanks for everything. You made this day fun. You're a great person."

Mina smiled at him and gave him a hug, eager to hide the violet flush spreading through her cheeks, while also just wanting to hug him for saying such kind things.

 _Is just a compliment all that's needed now? God..._

Eventually, Hagakure won, much to the dismay of Bakugou and Kirishima, Iida and Uraraka were given multiple turns as well, with Izuku trying to man the right side of the controller. He did better that time, but there wasn't much one could do with half a controller and zero experience, perfect dexterity or no. It didn't matter. All that mattered was that he was at a friend's house, with a group of friends, all having fun, and that couldn't have been bad to him, win or lose.

When Izuku Midoriya went home that day, he wished only to stay awake, and daydream about the future he would have with his friends.

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxX

In a place unknown to the concious of Izuku, a great and ancient evil thought to itself, before being intruded apon.

A gaseous, shadowy substance materialized in his dark room, with an equally shadowlike man stepped through. _Kurogiri_ spoke.

"Sensei, I have discovered something of importance."

The Ancient Evil spoke, his tone calm, but radiating immense power, like a supposedly disarmed nuclear weapon.

 _ **"Kurogiri, it has been some time since you personally visited. This must be important."**_

Kurogiri unwrapped a cloth he carried, revealing one half of a robotic arm.

"It is from the USJ Incident, it belonged to a student who caused great disruption of the plan."

 _ **"Izuku Midoriya."**_

He nodded.

"Correct, it is my belief that this could could benefit us in some way."

 _ **"Great minds think alike."**_

"Ah...of course. What did you have in mind?"

The Ancient Evil thought only for a moment before responding. The answer to their problems had been in plain sight, yet he never paused to consider it before now. It amused him greatly. He had experimented using genetic modification and quirk assignment...but what if that was not his only option?

Kurogiri did not see it, but the Ancient Evil grinned.

 _ **"Nomu."**_

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxX

Thank you to everyone who enjoys my story, seeing your support really motivates me. It is my entirely honest belief that Recovery Girl absolutely has a foul vocabulary, I believe she simply saves it for herself. Surprise visit for Izuku and video games at Mina's. I hope I did alright with this chapter, I have little experience having a _group_ , more used to individuals.

Sewrtyuiop, good intuition with that arm thing, reading my every move are you?

Thanks for pointing out my spelling/equipment errors, you know not and Emrys Akayuki, when making big chapters and accounting for butterfly effects and new options available, one tends to lose their head, so thanks for helping me find it.

Kai Dragoon, you're absolutely right. Truth be told, I may be projecting onto their forming relationship a little bit. I generally dislike slow burn romances, and since Izuku is more outgoing here, along with Mina being hella social, I've gotten sloppy with my pacing. I'll put some substance along with the cute so it's not as sub par.

Ahem, passionately opinionated Guest, I simply must disagree with you as well as anyone else who believes Yaororozu's character is comprised entirely of her breasts. I see the potential in her intelligence paired with quirk and had her utilize it a little more than she did in the main story, why? Because it was entertaining. It was fun. And if I'm able to have fun, send a message, and develop a character a little more in the process, I will absolutely do so. Izuku is a super nice guy, incase you forgot. He wouldn't be angry at her, he had been dealing with Katsuki "If it's a lil' bitch, blast it to bits" Bakugou for years, developing his quirk alongside him. He admires strength and inner will more in this story due to Bakugou's impact on him, and that's exactly what Yaororozu showed to him.

grimmich, the subject of buoyancy was always interesting to me, in that I never quite understood it no matter how hard I tried. Izuku is a machine boy man thing, and as such, is composed of denser materials than flesh and blood. His density and weight coupled with his still comparable size to the original story means he's displacing the same amount of water at a greater force. He does not sink primarily cause of how heavy he is, but the ratio of weight to size. Keeping this in mind, Ashido was able to catch him and prevent him from making out with the ground, as even though she isn't the strongest there is, she is particularly active student among the class. She may not be capable of bench pressing Izuku, but catching him from a pivot point like his legs and feet on the ground, it's certainly plausible to me.

As for your other point about her, I will admit some carelessness on my part. Yaororozu snuck the magnet into the box and tied herself onto the grappling hook while Izuku was in cover. This was not mentioned because I was placing the audience primarily behind Izuku's eyes, and he did not observe her doing it. She went into the fight with a plan, and the warehouse setting of Ground Delta allowed her to utilize cover and range, all the while providing tactical options. The shotgun pull was crazy difficult for her, but she has the personal willpower to see it through, unlike Ashido or damn near any other guy/gal that would've collapsed under the pain. All I did was give her the options she should've had from the beginning, in my humble opinion. As for her hand surviving the acid, that's because her quirk manifests objects from her exposed skin, so by the time its a full object with all its properties, its only "touching" her outer layer of skin, not directly the muscle underneath. Her mental state...well thats another thing. In the Todoroki vs Midoriya fight at the tournament arc, Midoriya was legitmately going to use 100% of One For All to SPLATTER Todoroki against the wall with hurricane force winds. Iceburn was 100% prepared to engulf Midoriya in FLAME. FIRE. FLESH MELTING SUBSTANCE. If it weren't for Cementoss getting in the way one or both of them absolutely would have died. I understand that anime has a suspension of disbelief inherent to its genre, and was hoping it would be accounted for when I wrote this scene.

See you next time!

 **-Delusional777**


	12. Enriched Hippocampus

After a free day of friends and games, Izuku Midoriya was happy to return to Yuuei Academy, knowing he would see those who visited him and the rest of his class once again. Walking into his homeroom, he was ambushed from the left by Mina, who let out a hollar and jumped sideways onto Izuku, forcing him to catch her bridal style with a yelp. The augmented, but also injured, teen struggled to securely hold her in his arms, with his right being significantly reduced.

 _Her skirt is..._!

"HAH! TOLD YOU HE'D CATCH ME KAMINARI!"

"Ohhh noooo, looks like you were right, too bad...", Kaminari gave a surprisingly subtle wink at Izuku, who's right stump was _very_ close to the hem of Mina's skirt. Unfortunately for the lightning haired student, Jiro was already used to his perverted antics, and caught on to his scheme. His sides would hurt for reasons other than laughter that day.

 _Huh...she likes to punish his...flirty behavior, but she doesn't ever really tell him to go away or to stop, and loves to make fun of him. He kinda just rolls with it. Is that healthy? He makes moves on nearly every girl and does his best to come off as "cool" but...he takes the teasing and physical abuse without any complaint. I wonder..._

"Hey Midori, you gonna keep feeling me up with your stump or are you just gonna keep staring at my favorite ship?", half-teased the bold pinkette, cutting his thoughts off.

"O-Oh! Sorry...", he set her down as gently as he could given his situation.

 _Wait._

"Favorite ship?"

Mina's face lit up at the mention of the word _ship_ , her previous teasing smile turning into one of energetic glee. Her eyes widened, hands turned to fists and brought up to her breasts, and skipped in place, once, twice, three times! Her entire attitude turned, if Izuku could describe it, _gossipy_. She lowered her voice to a whisper, yet it's volume was barely below normal speaking.

 _"Oh my GOD, okay so Jiro doesn't really talk to many guys right? But she still lets Kaminari ramble on until he says or does something pervy, then she...well you know what she does. From an outside view, it seems like he's just annoying her, but whenever I see her smile, its because HE'S involved! Whether she's laughing at him when he shouts out the wrong answer when he think's he's right, or when he screws up talking to a girl, it makes HER smile! She doesn't know it, but she's making herself like him! They're TOTALLY gonna be a thing later._ _I'm really good at sensing these things. What do you think?"_

Izuku was struck by the sheer force of her enthusiasm.

 _She is so into this!_

"W-Well to be honest, I kinda think they're more friends than a couple. Yeah he flirts with her and she let's him until he goes too far, but they seem...I don't know, too comfortable? They're not really...putting themselves out there for each other, I guess..."

Mina blinked.

 _Damn. That makes a lotta sense._ _Putting themselves out there for each other..._

"Laaaame. I was for sure at least one of them was crushing on the other. Makes sense though...so.."

"Hm?"

"Who are YOU crushing on Midori?"

Izuku's body reacted before his thoughts could, face flooding red and mind becoming unresponsive as the secretly stern pinkette feigned innocent curiosity.

"I-I'm not!"

"Oh? That _blush betrays thee_ , Midori! You ARE crushing on someone! Who?"

"N-Nobody!"

" _Tsk tsk_ , LIAR! You BETTER tell me. Hmm you are a quiet type...Uraraka?"

"N-N-No..."

"Ah DUH, obviously Yaororozu, she's pretty smart like you. Not to mention her...assets", Mina winked at him.

Izuku's legs were now vibrating in place as his anxiety overtook him, assaulting his mind and body in All Might-esque waves of power. He tried to respond, but couldn't.

"No? Is...is it Tsuyu? Don't worry, I won't judge."

Izuku shook his head no, praying to whatever would take pity on him for some kind, any kind, of divine intervention to save him from the terrifying ironic situation Mina placed him in. Even a villain attack or a fire drill would be acceptable at this point.

"Huh...well we just talked about Jiro and you weren't weird about it, and if you had a crush on Hagakure I would've noticed it yesterday at my house..."

"M-Mina class is about to start, we should really..."

"So that just leaves..."

Izuku held his breath, remembering the words of his brash friend after their battle.

 _Do you like Pinky?_

 _"Wow, Izu. You never told me you swung that way._

"W-WHAT?"

 _"Shhhhh not so loud...so, that explains the cute nickname. Kacchan. Dang, how long have you been crushing on him?"_

"Ahem."

The pair of close friends turned towards the source of the noise. Yaororozu stood up straight in her seat, looking naturally authoritative, as though she had practiced from childhood to do so. She smiled politely at the two and spoke.

"It is approximately one minute until homeroom starts, Aizawa-sensei will likely arrive before that. Please take your seats."

 _Woah. Was she always that rigid?_

Mina paused, before she shrugged and ruffled his hair. He smiled, unsure if it was from the friendly contact, or if it was self-defense mechanism in response to the sheer _monstrosity_ of a conversation Mina forced apon him.

"Oh well, if you ever feel like telling me who your crush is, _I'm always here for you_ ", concluded the teasing girl as she slipped a scrap of paper into Izuku's hand.

With that, Mina left and sat at her desk, immediately striking up a conversation with Tsuyu, leaving him to regain control of his emotional state. Izuku sat down in his seat as well, doing his best to avoid looking at the ash-blonde male infront of him. He glanced at the paper in his hand.

 _A phone number! It must be hers._

As Yaororozu predicted, their homeroom teacher Shouta Aizawa, know known as Eraserhead to the group of hero fans, walked into the classroom. The silence was immediate and effective, like a hivemind resuming it's control.

"Students I am pleased to report that the pro hero Thirteen has been hospitalized, and will make a successful recovery provided enough time. However, the fight is not over, today we discuss something of significant importance. The _Yuuei Sports Festival_."

The mood of the class skyrocketed.

"THIRTEEN IS OKAY!"

"THE SPORTS FESTIVAL RIGHT AFTER THE VILLAIN ATTACK? _SO MANLY_!"

"Wait a minute!", called out Kaminari.

"Isn't it a little risky to have the Sports Festival right after a villain attack?", Jiro questioned.

"She's right, what if they decide to attack again?", asked Ojiro.

Aizawa signed. "Yuuei has chosen the continuation of the festival as an opportunity to show the public that the villain attack has not significantly damaged us, and that we can handle any crisis thrown at us. Besides, security has been strengthened up to five times to previous years, and I doubt they will have the same number of recruits after their failure and high capture rate of USJ. The Yuuei Sports Festival is one of Japan's biggest events, it will not be cancelled on account of this villain attack. The Olympics were once a worldwide event, and operated similar to our Sports Festival, but with reductions to scale and population, they're now a shell of their former glory. In Japan, the Yuuei Sports Festival has taken their place."

Yaororozu spoke from two seats behind Izuku. "Pro heroes will be watching our progress, for scouting purposes."

"After we graduate, its typical to join a pro hero agency as a sidekick", Kaminari reinforced.

"It's also an opportunity for people to lose their independence and end up as eternal sidekicks. You seem like you'll be one of them, since you're dumb", Jiro casually lashed out with a stonefaced expression. Kaminari blushed and looked at her incredulously.

"What?!?"

"Interning under a pro hero means you'll be able to gain more experience and popularity if the hero is well known. Time is limited. If you expect to go pro, the sports festival is your first invaluable stepping stone. One chance a year, a total of three chances. No aspiring hero can afford to miss this opportunity."

The mood in that room would remain tense for the rest of the day, as the student's possible futures glared at them with nostalgia, remorse, and pride. All around the room, every student felt heavier, as though a coat was prepared for incoming rain.

"I suggest you all train, study, and otherwise prepare for the future."

"Yes sir!"

"Homeroom is dismissed."

As Izuku and his classmates went through their average usual day of school, minus the dismemberment and violence, he couldn't help but wonder the various aspects of what was discussed with Aizawa.

 _This is a huge chance to show myself to Japan, even the whole world, that I can be the number one hero, like All Might!_ _As it's a physical based event, I should have an edge in the competition. I...I think I can make it in first! What happens after that though? I always dreamed of working under All Might, but realistically_ _he will still be teaching at Yuuei_ _and be unavailable. I guess I could try and reach Endeavor or another top ten hero agency, but I don't know them NEARLY as well as All Might. I guess I'm just fantasizing about our interactions if I could've accepted his power. If I had it and he trained me directly, that would be so cool!_

 _Now that I think about it...he still needs to pass it on, doesn't he? He still obviously_ _uses_ _it and I haven't seen his real form ever since that day. Would he still be able to use it after passing it on? Could someone with a quirk copying...quirk...be able to copy One For All, or can it truly only be given? If it can be copied, can the copy of One For All also be able to be passed down? Would that mean there could be two One For Alls in the world? Just the fact that a quirk that can be "passed on" is amazing enough, but when you consider all the other outcomes of such a gamechanging ability...amazing..._

"DEKU. STOP THINKING ABOUT THE THREE FUCKIN' MUSKETEERS, CLASS IS OVER."

Izuku gasped and startled in his seat, looking around to see their previous, and last, teacher has left the classroom. Somehow, an entire day swept past him faster than All Might's top recorded speed.

 _How much of that did he catch!?!_

"R-Right, thanks Kacchan."

The blonde just rolled his eyes before retorting.

"Your mumbling get worse every day. How am I supposed to keep track of this boring shit while you're buzzing like a damn mosquito all the time? Get your shit together, pay attention."

Izuku assumed as much of a haughty smile as he could, adopting a snobbish tone as well. "Ah, well that doesn't really bother me, I _can't forget_ _things, you know_ "

He sneered in response and walked away, muttering _dipshit_ under his breath in a volume only one could hear.

 _Never change, Kacchan._

"I-zuuuu-ku~, get over here!"

"Midoriya-kun, Ashido and I humbly request your earnest opinion!"

Getting up, Izuku slung his backpack over his uninjured arm and walked over to the group of students, consisting of Mina and Iida. He observed Kirishima and his company getting pumped up for the sports festival, Jiro further teasing Kaminari, and Hagakure having a one-sided conversation with Ojiro. It was interesting to him to see that even those not particularly social could converse with each other so easily. They really were just a bunch of hero geeks lumped into a room. Yet...not everyone was talking.

 _Todoroki and Yaororozu dont really talk to anyone unless spoken to, and the former doesn't even do that all the time._ _Even Kacchan made a new friend, of sorts. Are they going to go through the entire year without making any meaningful relationships? We'll likely team up with each other at one point in our lives._

Izuku looked at Todoroki.

 _Sitting as his desk patiently, just waiting. He seems more "anti-social" as opposed to just shy, and whatever business he has with his father must be deeper rooted than I thought._ _Who even is his father?_ _I doubt I'll find a Todoroki in my memory bank unless he happens to be a pro hero..._

 **Individual** **Profile: Enji Todoroki, AKA Pro Hero Endeavor.**

 _His father is ENDEAVOR? HOW DID I MISS THIS? Having a pro hero as a father must be intense, he must be under a lot of pressure to succeed. So, he has an ice quirk, and Endeavor's Hellflame, which he doesn't use because of it's relation with his father_. _That doesn't make sense though, he's handicapping himself. He was born with it, its HIS quirk_.

Izuku glanced towards Yaororozu, but immediately regretted it.

 _She's looking right at me!_

Unsure of what to do, Izuku offered a friendly wave, at which Yaororozu smiled in return, a hint of uncertainty creeping on her faceas she turned away from him.

 _I hope I didn't make her uncomfortable. I can't imagine what's going on in her head, hearing stories of USJ but not being there to experience it. I wonder if her hand has fully recovered yet..._

 _Wait._

 _She probably has no idea why my arm is gone! She wasn't there!_ _Maybe someone told her? Should I tell her about it? How would I even do that?_ _Does she even want to know?_

Storing his thoughts on the reclusive students into their own boxes, Izuku pushed them away and continued to his friends, who were patiently waiting on him.

"Watcha doing looking at my third favorite ship Izu?", asked Mina with enthusiasm.

"This _shipping_ practice of yours is particularly interesting, Ashido-san. On what basis do you consider...those two, to be romantically compatible?"

"They're both _quiet_ and _mysterious_. Toto broods and Momo is super smart, I can _totally_ see them becoming a thing later on, much later on though."

"Hmm, in that case, Midoriya and Yaororozu may be just as eligible for romance, as they both share superior intelligence. Their increased proximity from their duties as Class Representative and Class Deputy may also serve to increase familiarity between them, wouldn't you say?"

Any trace of enthusiasm vanished from Mina as Iida finished his _romantic compatibility_ suggestion. Her face underwent multiple emotions at once, the primary being doubt. "Well, I wouldn't go _that_ far, Momo cared more about winning some dumb responsibility than Izu's face, so really, how would that even work out? I dunno, it doesn't _feel_ right to me..."

Izuku shifted uneasily at the memory of their battle and the idea of romance between them. He glanced towards Yaororozu once again, who looked deep in thought and didn't take note of his gaze.

 _They didn't call me over just to get my opinion of ships, did they?_

"Hm, you are correct Ashido-san! Yaororozu desire to overcome any obstacle directly interferes with whatever natural kindness that may correlate with Midoryia's. Therefore, it is my belief that, taking into account Yaororozu-san's raw desire for victory, she would be most romantically compatible with Bakugou!"

The previous mood, once sapped of enthusiasm and comfort, was now replaced with bewilderment and barely suppressed laughter. Iida, naturally, was confused at the sudden shift in tone.

"Ya-Yaororozu an-and _Kacchan_?!?", Izuku barely got out before retreating to suppress his laughter.

"H-Holy _shit_ dude, imagine them in _bed_ , and-and, he just gets screams out _DIE!_ before he-HE, AHAHAHAHAHA!"

 _"Mina that was way too loud!"_

"THE HELL IS THIS SHIT!?!", demanded who already know who.

Fearing the worst, Izuku turned towards Bakugou, only to find him nowhere near Izuku or Mina. Instead, he was at the door, seemingly unable to leave. He glared at the other side with a furious gleam in his crimson eyes. Curious, the members of class 1-A took place by the door.

Looking out, Izuku saw a massive crowd of students blocking the Class 1-A door, impressive considering the door's size. They looked curious, but cautious as well, like a deer approaching a human child, no dangerous parents to be seen. He heard murmurs and secret conversations from the crowd, about...USJ.

 _They know we were at USJ when it was attacked. Is that why they're here?_

"No fucking answers? I'll bite. Scouting the competition, probably heard about USJ right? You extras think it's fuckin' funny or some shit?"

No one took the initiative to answer him directly, and Izuku knew the only thing his friend detested more than opponents, weak allies.

"FUCKING ANSWER ME!", boomed the explosive teen, startling the crowd.

"I came to see the famous Class 1-A, though I suppose it should be expected from _you_ to be so arrogant, as well as in that class. Are all the students in the hero course like this?"

The voice came from a student somewhere in the middle of the crowd, who was nudging his way to the front to directly confront Class-1A. He had wild, purple hair that sprouted in all directions except foward, and his face...

 _Is that_

 **Individual Profile: Hitoshi Shinso, Quirk, Brainwash. A former friend, Shinso grew resentful of user thro-**

 _Stop._

"Seeing something like this makes me quite disillusioned, th-"

Shinso,oh so briefly, paused to glare directly at Izuku as they noticed each other, memories flooding back in their minds and breaking the dam they both tried to build. He resumed his speech, his tone devoid of softness.

"There are quite a large amount of people who enrolled in general studies or other courses because they couldn't make it into the hero course, did you know that? The school has left those of us a chance. Depending on the results of the Yuuei Sports Festival, they school may decide to transfer one of us into your class...with one of your former classmates being transferred out."

He paused to let the thought sink in, one of them could _lose_ their hero course membership.

"Scouting out the enemy? No. I at least, simply came to say that if you get too carried away, I'll sweep your legs out from under you, and take my rightful place. This, is a declaration of war."

Bakugou leaned foward, and brought his voice to a whisper, knowing, but not caring, that someone else would hear their words.

 _"You never should've wasted his fucking time."_

After saying what he wanted to say, Bakugou shoved his way past the crowd of onlookers, and made his way home. Shinso looked furious, but just as quickly as before, shifted his expression to neutral coldness, and glanced at Izuku once more before leaving as well. Izuku sighed and swallowed his emotions before retrieving his bag, preparing to leave Yuuei.

Before he could get out the door, Mina gently tapped on his shoulder.

 _"Izuku, do you know him?"_

Too sapped of energy and motivation, as well as not wanting to lie in general, Izuku simply responsed. "Yes. We used to be friends, but some things just don't work out, you know?"

Izuku walked out the door, leaving Mina with her thoughts.

 _I've heard of broken friendships, but that was like an entire Navy!_ _I've NEVER seen him get that upset so quickly, they didn't even say anything_ _to each other...just on sight hostility._ _I can tell it's a touchy subject but I don't think Bakugou is really the best audience...I should talk to him._

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxX

 **Author's Notes:** The ex friends see each other after a very long time.

I kinda mashed up episodes 14 and 15, as about half of 14 wasn't all that necessary to me since my Izuku does not possess All For One, only being able to infer at the most. Half of episode 15 is the Sports Festival intro but I wanna keep my chapters specific, I suppose? So really, it results in a rare, one scene chapter. I will either jump into the sport's festival or put something in between like last chapter, depends really.

Some tension between Shinso and Izuku, quite intentional I assure you. I will delve deeper into their murky waters as the story progresses.

I'm quite glad you guys liked the "in between episodes" chapter I put in there to flesh these guys out a bit. I was kinda taking a risk straying into originality, and I don't know _anything_ about Japanese names in the slightest. I figured I may as well start so when one of these guys asks the other out I can delve in with confidence.

As some of my perceptive readers are aware, Yaororozu actually was in a lil group unlike Todoroki in that beginning scene, she was with Jiro and Kaminari. However, if she were say, dealing with conflicting feelings regarding USJ and the injury of a certain green bean, that earlier on the day of USJ she fought, then she may not be as inclined to be as social. That's just my take.

Review Time

Sewrtyuiop, that idea with Mei is actually really cool, but Mei feeling Izuku up with Mina on standby was somewhat already done, and I'd rather not draw TOO many similarities to other stories. That being said, its a hilarious idea and I totally would've gone for it if I didn't want to show off Kurogiri and Izuku as badasses this early in the story, ah well.

justus3138, glad I can sate your appetite!

 **-Delusional777**


	13. Polymer Joints

After a bittersweet day at Yuuei, Izuku crashed on his bed and scrolled through his phone for news of heroes, updated fanfictions (something he _seriously_ hope nobody ever found out about him) and trivia over the sports festival, hoping to find any information he may have missed. Part of him was still effected by his earlier reunion with Shinso, but, as before, he took those thoughts, placed them in a box, and locked it away to the best of his ability. No point putting himself in a bad mood, right? Thinking back to class, he remembered something important.

 _Mina's phone number!_

Awkwardly navigating through his phone by holding it with four fingers and tapping with his index, Izuku pondered what he would even _say_ to her. It would be somewhat awkward just to leave a " _Haha hey here's my number incase you wanna talk because I'm too nervous to initiate a subject of conversation haha_."

 _Ugh._ _...now that I think about it, I don't ever initiate conversations with her, do I? She shouldn't carry that just so we can talk to each other, people like being wanted._ _Okay...just start_.

 **Hello Mina, how are you?...**

 **Hella Mina h...**

 **Hello M...**

 **He...**

 _I would much rather speak in person..._

 **I:** **Hello Mina, how are you?**

Taking a deep breath, Izuku hit send. Easy.

 **M:** **u get a new phone or something daddy?**

Izuku's reaction was delayed, but powerful.

 _D-Daddy?!?_

 _Oh. I didn't tell her who I was, I just appear as a number! Stupid, stupid, stupid!_

Responding at the speed of sound, or as close to it as he could, he clarified the situation.

 **I:** **Ah sorry, it's me, Izuku!**

 **M:** **Ohhhhhhh lol** **u talk like my dad or maybe iida** **or something**

 **M: Love ur pfp nerD**

The teen looked at his profile picture, All Might's signature V-shaped hair with an urban city behind it. The evening sun setting in the background, reddish-purple hues gleaming off the blonde hair.

 _V for Victory._

 **I: Thanks! I really like yours too.**

Mina's profile picture was actually of her, with some photoshop making it look as if her entire face was smushed against the phone's screen, a silly smile on her face.

 **M: Yeah ik u like it :)**

 **M: U in ur room?**

 **I: Yes.**

 **M: SHOW ME THE INSIDE!!!**

Panick struck Izuku as he realized the situation he found himself in had no escape. Why did he confirm he was in his room? He could've been doing anything else. Of _course_ she wanted to know. Frantically looking around, Izuku hid some of the All Might figures and merchandise, but he knew there was no way he'd hide it all. Swallowing his pride, Izuku took a video of his room, walking around and showcasing the interior of his room, hoping it looked _geeky_ , not _obsessive._

 **I: Here you go. I'm a bit of an All Might fan, but you already knew that.**

 **M: AWWWW UR SUCH A HERO GEEK IS THAT A PLUSHIE?!?**

Izuku gasped and looked at his bed, the All Might plushie was, in fact, there.

 _Damnit how did I miss that?_

 **I: Maybe...**

 **M: Awwww cute :3**

 **I: Who is your favorite hero, Mina?**

 **M: I REALLY like All Might and Ryukyu the dragon girl...buttttttttt**

 **M: I dont really HAVE a favorite all the heroes are cool af**

 **I: "af"?**

 **M: Bakugous fav word XD**

 **I: Ah. XD**

Izuku and Mina continued to text for the rest of the free time they had, until Izuku pointed out that if Mina didn't sleep she'd have a hard time at school tomorrow, to which she unhappily conceded after thirty minutes of resisting. Izuku stayed up, of course, wondering what would await him at Yuuei the next day.

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxX

When he arrived at his homeroom class, Izuku was surprised to see Aizawa waiting for him, with no other students in the class. He threw a bundle of clothes at him. Gym clothes.

"Get dressed and report to Gym A, we are starting early."

"Yes, Aizawa-sensei."

While getting dressed, the augmented teen in healing noticed his right arm has nearly grown back, a wrist like stump finishing the grotesque limb off. One more day and he'd have his arm and hand back, theoretically. Once he finished getting dressed, Izuku traveled to the gym and walked through a large pair of double doors, similar in size and fashion to class 1-A's. Inside was a massive gymnasium, full of equipment for every possible workout, a track for running, laps for swimming, and an area with a rectangular perimeter painted on the concrete. About five feet away from the paint, a large wall of plastic ten feet high ran along it's length, creating a perimeter around it's perimeter.

"Aizawa-sensei, when do we get to fight?", spoke a neutral Kacchan, who must've been in a good mood to maintain a respectful tone from such a distance.

"When I deem it neccessary."

Izuku flinched at the closeness of the voice.

 _He's right behind me! When did he get here? How is he so quiet?_

"Midoriya, this is Gym A. Your purpose here is to work on your primary physical weakness. _Flexibility._ The arena is closed until I open it. The matchups will be in similar fashion to those held in past sports festivals, the conditions of failure are being pushed out the of boundaries or incapacitation by the other."

 _Our physical weaknesses?_

Looking around, Izuku saw various members of Class 1-A working on themselves. Hagakure and Yaororozu were doing pull-ups on a bar, Mina and Mineta were lifting weights, Kacchan was running laps with Koda, Kirishima was struggling to balance, and Sato was working on his flexibility. Everyone was working hard, preparing for the sports festival.

 _That means I have to work hard as well!_

Going over to a simple device that measured how far one could reach from a sitting position, Izuku took an unnecessary breath and extended his arms as far as he could, one arm protruding significantly over the other, producing a mediocre result.

 _Will this even work for me? My tendons can't exactly grow more elastic than they already are. Maybe stretching will damage them and replace them with something better, like a real human body? I guess there's only one way to really find out._

In the middle of stretching, Izuku's eardrums picked up something of interest. It sounded like a large crowd approaching. Turning his head, Izuku saw another class of students, with Vlad King himself leading them.

"Aizawa-kun."

"Kan-san."

"Hmpf. You got that loud one under control?"

"Yes."

Taking a short break from his stretches, Izuku looked towards the students of class 1-B. Half of them looked _exceedingly_ normal, while the other half looked mutated or altered otherwise. One in particular was making his head hurt, a fully average male from torso down, but his head was a full on speech bubble.

 _Is that actually two-dimensional or am I just perceiving it that way...?_

One of the students approached him, her aquamarine...no, teal eyes meeting his. An admittedly attractive girl with strawberry red hair tied in a ponytail, similar to Yaororozu, though he had to admit the _spiky_ part was less in the tail and more on the remaining unbound hair on her head. She offered him a friendly smile and a wave, before sitting down near the device next to him.

"Hey, you're Midoriya right? First place in the entrance exam? I think you're pretty cool. I know some people in our class are kinda jealous of you guys but most of us really have nothing against you. I'm Itsuka Kendo, class representative of 1-B."

 _She seems friendly!_

"I'm Izuku Midoriya, class...deputy representative, I think. Nice to meet you. That tall girl with the ponytail over there is Momo Yaororozu, our class representative."

"I'm surprised you didn't get class rep, you seem like you'd be popular with your quirk."

A pause.

"Not to say that your quirk is the _only_ reason why you're liked or anything, that doesn't really make sense I just..."

Izuku smiled at her. "It's alright, I know what you were trying to say. I probably could've gotten class rep but...something a little embarrassing happened before and all the girls plus a few guys voted for her. We actually fought each other for it."

Izuku's grin became far more genuine.

"She won."

Kendo looked shocked. "How?"

"It's quite a story..."

Izuku started stretching again, doing his best to hold a conversation with the redhead while doing so. As it turns out, Kendo really was more of a listener than a talker, choosing to limit her interruptions and only quip when it wouldn't disrupt the flow of his story.

"Yaororozu sounds like a master strategist."

"She really is..."

Itsuku Kendo hesitated before asking her next question, and spoke in a gentle tone while doing so. "Midoriya-kun, did you lose your hand in USJ?"

 _I cannot wait until that stops getting pointed out._

Sighing slightly, he responded "Yes, I lost my _arm_. It obviously wasn't my plan or anything it's just...my quirk makes me pretty hard to kill. If I got injured, it'd be less dangerous than if someone else got hurt. So I stood at the front lines, so to speak."

"No wonder you're the talk of the school..."

"I-I'm _what_ -"

"AH. IF IT ISN'T CLASS 1-A'S BEST!", spoke a voice full of indignation and possible anger. Izuku turned and saw one of the average-looking students of 1-B. He had purple eyes with white pupils, blond hair parted towards the left with his bangs hanging over his right eye. His smile looked artificial and nearly _sadistic_ , along with being contemptuous. Itsuka Kendo immediately grimaced, stress plaguing her expression.

"Ah...hello Monoma."

"Why hello Kendo, you're speaking to the acclaimed _Izuku Midoriya_ , aren't you?", not giving her any time to respond, the blond literally started _talking down_ to Izuku.

"That's quite a grisly injury you got there. You know that's actually quite odd, how the top 1-A student, supposedly _superior in every way_ to class 1-B, lost a limb during USJ, but did not directly contribute to the captures of _any_ villains during the event. It's almost as if class 1-A is not superior to 1-B in the slightest! One could say your exceedingly reckless behavior could lose a life one day, or lose another limb, or even k-"

The boy had no further opportunity to say anything, as Kendo had gotten up and... _gently incapacitated_ him. The thud as he fell to the floor was nearly comical. She sighed and beckoned to Vlad King, who simply nodded and walked over to Monoma, picking him up and laying him on a nearby bench.

"...um."

"Please don't mind him, Monoma has...issues. He's the worse you'll come across when it comes to our class, don't worry."

"That's alright, our class has one too, but he's alright if you get to know him. I'm sure Monoma is probably like that too."

"Nope."

After an _interesting_ half hour of stretching and pleasant conversation, Aizawa instructed the students to spend the rest of their time as they pleased as long as it was productive, which most of the class was extremely happy to hear.

"Hey Midoriya", spoke Rikido Sato, who had been silent the entire time while working on his flexibility.

"Oh, yes?"

"Arm wrestle?", offered the Sugarman with a grin just as sweet. Izuku couldn't resist the friendly energy radiating from him.

"Let's do it!"

"SHOJI, KIRISHIMA, IT'S HAPPENING!", he called out.

"OHMYGOD YESSSSSS!"

 _He_ _sounds just like Mina!_

The two muscular teens walked over to a table, taking chairs on opposite ends. Quicker than expected, a crowd gathered among them, mostly consisting of class 1-A and a few curious members of class 1-B.

"Who do you think is gonna win?"

"I'm thinking Sato, all that extra stuff Midoriya has isn't going to help him here."

"Pshh, you guys saw what he did to the 0-Pointer, Izu has _got_ this!"

"He was using his entire body for that though, this time it's just his arm. His _left_ arm."

"Idiots. It doesn't matter if Diabetes is as strong as Deku."

"What do you mean?"

 _What_ _DOES he mean?_

"Gentlemen, on three", announced Yaororozu, who couldn't help but be intrigued by the matchup of brawn.

Izuku Midoriya and Rikido Sato put their left arms in position on the table, with Sato popping a sugar cube in his mouth beforehand. His entire body's muscularature thickened, as if air was being pumped into them, but Izuku could feel his hand and see the determined, if somewhat empty haze in his eyes. It was all very real.

 **Quirk** **Assessment: Complete**

 **Sugar Rush quirk dramatically increases strength apon consumption of sugar. Cognitive abilities reduced.**

"1."

 _I'm actually kind of nervous..._

"2."

 _So many eyes are on us..._

"3!"

 _Hope he can handle a loss!,_ thought both of the boys.

Bringing his arm down, Izuku was surprised to find as much resistance as he did, while Sato was surprised at just how _inhumanely_ strong Izuku actually was. The Augmentation user had the upper hand, but the Sugarman was not done.

 _Not going down that easy!_

"C'mon Sato you can do it!"

"Quit fuckin' around Deku."

 _"So manly ugh!"_

 **Adrenaline Rush detected in opponent.**

 _Damn!_

With a legitmately intimidating roar that impressed even Katsuki, Sato redoubled, retripled his efforts ontop of his sugar rush, forcing Izuku's arm back and causing him to respond with more strength in turn. The two teens were fully exerting themselves.

"Wow he looks pissed."

"Which one?"

"I know, right?"

 _This is the furthest I can go without using an adrenaline rush of my own...that being said, I can manually activate it if I wanted to, but would that be unfair? He was pushed to do so, so shouldn't I be as well? I still don't know what Kacchan meant by what he said. "It doesn't matter if he's as strong."_ _Of course it matters, that's the point of arm wrestling._

Izuku looked up and saw Sato, sweat beading down his face, which was twisted in an expression of extreme focus and pain.

Pain.

Images of Izuku's last painful experience flashed through his mind, his right hand flaring up in phantom agony, as well as the area where the limb was cut from in the first place. His superior arm of metal and plastics, being cut through so _easily_. Never before in his life had he remembered feeling so _mortal_. Against Kurogiri, he was flesh and bone.

 _Flesh...and bone._

"Sato..."

"DONT GO EASY!"

"If I go any further, your arm will break. My bones are stronger than yours, and we are both strong enough to break normal bone. If we keep this up, your humerus is going to snap."

Sato glared at Izuku, before smiling and loosening his grip. Izuku did likewise.

"Thanks. Arm hurting!"

 _Huh...so that's what his "reduced" mental capacity looks like. It's not as bad as Kaminari's at least._

"WHAT? Aw such a letdown."

"...did you really want to see his arm snap?"

"Well, no, but I did want someone to win."

Getting up, Sato stretched his exhausted limb, gently massaging his bruised palm.

"It appears Midoryia's greatest strength is his durability!"

"Indeed, the ability to overcome life's darkness is a strength of it's own."

"SO MANLY!"

Walking away from the crowd, Izuku stretched his limb out, pleasantly surprised to have engaged in something physically challenging that wasn't _stretching_. Looking back, he saw Sato give him a thumbs up, to which he returned without hesitation. A grin crept onto his face.

 _A challenge and a friend. This feels good._

"Izuku."

Fear sprouted in his heart, similar to when his mother pronounced his full name, this situation was just as terrifying, because Mina, being the energetic, happy girl she was, liked to call him _Izu_ or _Midori_. Rarely was it _just_ Izuku. His fears were found to be unfounded, however, as Mina Ashido hugged him from behind.

"That was really nice of you. A lot of other guys would've kept going, and would've hurt him just to win, but you're not like that. You're _better_. You're like All Might. He...he can probably punch a skyscraper down, but he always brings in the villain _alive_. People like him, like you, have to be really careful a-and..."

 _Is she crying?_

Mina calmed herself, breathing in deeply before speaking again. "After seeing Thirteen _almost die_...and _you losing your_...I just don't want any of my friends to get hurt. So...thank you, Izuku."

Izuku's phantom pain flared up once more, his pain suppressants doing nothing to counteract. He did his best to ignore it. Turning around, he returned the hug fully, his arms fully wrapping around her, his one hand accidentally brushing against her horns. He instinctively recoiled, causing the girl to grin.

"No one's looking, feel 'em."

"I don't think I shou-"

"Do it."

"The girls will be mad at me."

"I'll be mad at you if you don't."

"No you won't."

 _"Please?"_

Mina looked directly up at him, widening her eyes and putting on her most formidable pouting face. Immediately, the mechanical teen felt his emotions take over. He sighed and gave in.

 _Has she been practicing or something?!?_

Slowly, but without any plan or guide, Izuku ran his hand through her messy pink hair, and rubbed his metallic fingers over her skeletal horns. They felt softer than he had been expecting, as soft as bone could get, anyways. Mina hummed softly, happily.

 _Maybe they're not made out bone? Lots of "bone" isn't just bone, but cartilage or keratin._ _I feel if I really tried, they might bend slightly, just slightly..._

A shadow fell over them.

"Midoriya. Ashido. At Yuuei, you are expected to learn and become a hero. Your current _recreational_ activities play no part in this goal."

Aizawa inched closer.

 _"So learn."_

"Y-Yes, Aizawa-sensei!"

The two blushing students seperated at speeds faster than he had seen before, with each of them on opposite sides of the gym in less than four seconds.

 _Hmpf. Good time. If they continue to lose focus due to each other I will have to do more than just remind them._ _They are both intelligent, as most in this school are. The problem is they don't care as much as they should._

Beckoning to the teacher of class 1-B, Vlad King, Aizawa spoke to him.

"Kan-san, I believe this is an appropriate moment to open the arena."

"I agree, but _Kan-san?_ You are too cold, Aizawa-kun."

"I am well aware on how you coddle your students. It is not relevant in my class."

"Hmpf. Alright."

Vlad King announced the news to the students while Aizawa unlocked the reinforced plastic door to the Arena.

" **CLASSES 1-B AND 1-A!** "

That got their attention.

"THE ARENA IS OPEN. ANY STUDENT WHO WISHES TO TEST THEIR METTLE AGAINST EACH OTHER MAY DO SO IN HERE, FOR THE PURPOSE OF SIMULATING A POSSIBLE SPORTS FESTIVAL ACTIVITY."

"It should also be noted that watching the matches is allowed in place of training, so long as it is for the purpose of _analysis_ , not socialization."

The two students didn't even need to look to know who that comment was directed at.

As soon as Vlad King and Eraserhead finished speaking, Katsuki Bakugou ran in.

"C'MON YOU CLASS OF EXTRAS, SOMEONE FIGHT ME ALREADY!", Bakugou demanded from the arena.

 _Well, this will be something._

Most of classes 1-A and 1-B gathered by the see-through wall, and waited in anticipation for whoever would challenge the loud, angry one. Surprisingly, a 1-B student took the initiative. A girl with an emotionless expression, pale gray hair parted to the right, with the left side of her face being mostly obscured. The most interesting thing, however, was her stance. As she walked and then stood, her arms held high as her elbows, with her hands draped down. She put distance between herself and Bakugou, walking over to the side nearest the gym wall, within a few feet of the boundary line.

 _She almost looks like a zombie_ _, but she must have a plan. Why else would she position herself so close to being out of bounds? If only I knew what her quirk was._

"Reiko Yanagi?", queried Kendo.

"Yanagi? What is she doing..."

"Doesn't she know that's one of their top students?"

Unbeknownst to everyone, Vlad King smiled.

"You ready, emo chick?", challenged Bakugou.

"I am indeed in a state of adequate preparation", over responded Yanagi.

Aizawa blew his whistle, and Bakugou's happiness grew tenfold, as did his bloodlust.

Wasting no time, the aggresive aggravator jumped towards Yanagi, boosting himself with his explosions and reaching dangerous speeds. Yanagi ducked, but even the most novice of fighters could tell she had ducked too early, Bakugou readjusted his course. The audience couldn't bear to watch, but did so anyways.

 _Too early! He's going to hit you dead center!_

Yet, when Bakugou reached a distance of approximately six feet from her body, he...flew right over her, cursing the whole way. Izuku was bewildered. He hadn't miscalculated, or changed course, he had done everything right, except for knowing his opponent. It's as if he was yanked by some invisible force and thrown over her, and the boundary line. Aizawa blew his whistle, signaling the match's conclusion.

"Damn that was quick."

"Bakugou got played..."

"A most interesting quirk."

 _What was that? Some kind of velocity redistribution? It looked like..._

Drawing on the first comparison he could, Izuku remembered his mother, manipulating objects from a distance, as Reiko did.

 _The way he changed course...she must have a telekinetic quirk!_

"NICE ASS-KICKING YANAGI!", spoke a zealous 1-B student with a snake-like head and a green mohawk.

"I KNEW YOU COULD DO IT!", said Kendo.

"S-She's the ULTIMATE BIG-TITTY GOTH GIRLFRIE-"

 _Smack!_

"Kero."

Reiko simply nodded, although if Izuku was correct, he could've sworn seeing the faintest trace of a smile as she walked out of the arena. Bakugou had gotten up, looking surprisingly calm at his failure, and walked out behind her.

 _He's either getting better at dealing with defeat, or he's just really, REALLY angry._

"Alright, who's next?", asked Aizawa, although it sounded more like a definite statement.

"I'll go!", offered a friendly sounding class 1-B with sandy hair and a remotely terrifying mouth. No lips, all teeth, giving a skull like appearance. He had an average build and black pupils, no discernible color otherwise seen.

"Only if _Izuku Midoriya_ wants to go too, though."

The classes gasped, laughed, and otherwise showed their reactions to what was essentially some random directly challenging the mostly undisputed champion of class 1-A. For a moment, all was still.

 _He's a little scary looking, but I am too, at least to some. He seems friendly though, and by aiming high he's really pushing himself. He probably wants to be a hero just as much as I do!_

"I accept."

He walked into the arena, putting roughly 25 feet of distance between him and his opponent.

"I swear if Deku fucking loses..."

"Show him your _darkness_ , Midoriya."

"JUST DO YOUR BEST, IZUKU!"

 _I will, Mina._

Aizawa brought his whistle up to his lips.

 **Combat Assessment: In Progress**

 **Threat: Unknown (Low)**

 **Enemy has shown average physical attributes. Intelligence is unknown. Reccomended course of action: Gather more information.**

 _That's right...if I just rush towards him like Kacchan did I'll slip up. I need to know what he can do first._

The whistle was blown.

Bringing his injured arm up infront of him, Izuku took a stance which hid his fully functioning hand behind his profile and advanced cautiously towards his opponent, who hadn't moved an inch since the match started.

 _He wants me to come to him? Damnit._

 **"Fear" Pheramone: Active.**

Izuku changed his stance, choosing to stand tall, and extended his arm blades, his right arm being healed just enough for the blade to be fully functioning as well. His opponent shifted restlessly, but stayed in his position.

 _Now for the last advantage._

 **Invisibility: Active.**

Gasps came from the crowd behind the plastic wall.

"Aizawa-kun, how many abilities does this kid have?"

"I'll send you a file later."

Treading as softly as he could, he circled towards his left side and advanced foward. He noticed someone, Yaororozu, in the crowd, wearing a set of thermal imaging goggles. She smiled and waved at him, smiling even wider when he waved back.

When Izuku reached a distance of 10 feet from his enemy, they gave into their fear. Placing their hands on the ground, Izuku felt the area below his feet grow unstable, and lept backwards. The ground he previously stood on turned into something akin to quicksand. He touched the ground once more, and the quicksand hardened into normal ground.

 **Quirk Assessment: Complete.**

 **Quirk: Softening. Allows user to soften any non-living material they touch, to a quicksand-like consistancy.** **Touching the affect material once more reverses** **the softening.**

 _Woah! That's a cool quirk. He was probably waiting until I was right on him, then he would've trapped me_ _in the ground._

With a devious grin, Izuku deactivated his invisibility.

"That was a _really_ smart plan!"

His skull-faced enemy was caught off guard by the compliment, but accepted it.

"O-Oh, well thanks dude! Messed it up though...I'm guessing it's over?"

"Yes...sorry!"

"Well I'm not just gonna give up! If there's anything our classes got in common, it's that we both _hate_ losing. My name is Juzo Honenuki, by the way."

"Izuku Midoriya...although you already knew that, hah."

"You're pretty alright, Midoriya. Let's do this!"

 _Did...did they really just become friends?_

Izuku jumped foward, taking great care to avoid touching his feet on the ground, and aimed a punch for Honenuki's center mass. His opponent made no effort to dodge, instead bringing both his hands out to block the blow. Suddenly, Izuku became aware of a very crucial detail about his Softening quirk.

 _IT SOFTENS NON-LIVING MATERIAL!_

It was too late. Honenuki touched his limb while taking a brutal punch in the process, being launched towards the ground and rolling out of the boundary line. Aizawa blew his whistle and the crowd reacted with cheers and sighs. Izuku, on the other _hand_ , had bigger issues.

Before him, he witnessed his left arm transforming before him, it's density lowering and his artificial muscle becoming undone, turning into a grainy, free-flowing substance. In a bid of desperation, Izuku activated his Crystalline Armor over his entire left side of his body and sprinted over to Honenuki's position, but there was no need.

 _My arm isn't dissolving anymore._

Turning his head, he saw Aizawa's blood red eyes shining, and hair flowing around him.

"Calm yourself, Midoriya. You are fine."

Taking a breath to calm himself, Izuku offered a hand to Juzo Honenuki. He smiled (which was only slightly terrifying considering his appearance) and took the hand, letting himself be pulled up. They both walked out of the arena, happier then they were when they walked in. He took his previous place next to Mina, who poked his cheek.

"That was a cool fight! You started freaking out at the end though, are you okay?"

 _She must not have put together his quirk._

"I'll tell you later and...thanks for asking. I'm alright."

After that match, a few more students came into the arena, usually the two classes challenging each other. Kirishima and someone else with a similar quirk, Tetsutestu, whose quirk turned his skin to steel, legitmately spent three minutes hitting each other until they both collapsed, exhausted.

Next was Itsuka Kendo versus Tokoyami, with the matchup being surprisingly even. Her quirk enlarged her hands dramatically, which provided a good defense against Dark Shadow, but also meant she was mostly on the defensive, as he was too fast to contain. Eventually, Kendo forfeited the match, complimenting Tokoyami. Oddly enough, he did not know how to respond, merely bowing his head.

Another even match was Sen Kaibara, a aathletically built student with dark hair and eyes, versus Ojiro. Kaibara's peculiar quirk allowed his to rotate his limbs as though they were power tools, giving the melee focused Ojiro some difficulty fighting him. At first Kaibara's caution put Ojiro on the offensive, but this gradually turned towarda aggression, to which opponent took advantage of. Ojiro swept his legs from under him using his tail, and threw him from the field, winning the match.

As match after match passed, Izuku went over his own fight, a glaring weakness revealed to him.

 _I took too long to reach him and he activated his quirk. If I could've been silent without my boots I would've been able to end the match_ _sooner. My invisibility doesn't work well if I can be heard_.

Looking around, he spotted Hagakure lifting some weights with Kirishima acting as a spotter.

 _Dang, she's busy._

"Midoriya."

Infront of him stood Todoroki, of all people.

"O-Oh, yes?"

His icy, heterochromic glare cut through whatever comfort Izuku held.

"I challenge you."

 _Why is he so serious about this?!?_

"Sure thing, Todoroki."

Mina watched the two enter the arena, feeling the same queasy, uncertain emotions she felt when Yaororozu challenged him. A part of her felt she should warn him, or ask him to stay and watch more fights. He had already fought today, why should he have to fight twice? Yet there he went anyways, Izuku being too nice to turn people down.

 _Stay safe, Izuku._

Izuku stood in the center of the field, with Todoroki on the far end, performing some light stretches. Izuku couldn't help but worry, it seemed uncharacteristic of Todoroki to challenge anyone, he seemed to just keep to himself. A matchup versus him wasn't the best idea either, as they both knew he was capable of breaking through the ice.

 _So why is he doing this?_

 **Combat Assessment: Complete.**

 **Threat: Moderate-High**

 **Todoroki possesses inferior speed, strength, and intelligence to user. Quirk usage dramatically amplifies threat, Ice is capable of temporarily incapacitating User. User possesses required strength to break through ice. Quirk is voluntarily limited by own mental disturbances. Fire is not a factor.**

Aizawa blew his whistle.

Izuku broke into a sprint, but was stopped short when Todoroki launched a massive stalagmite of ice towards him from his right side, the icy serpent zig zagging across the field. Izuku ducked under the projectile, avoiding the attack by inches, and continued running. Izuku activated his invisibility.

 _It'll tire me out, but he has the quirk and the range to outlast me otherwise._

Todoroki, however, was having none of it. In a show of brutal power, the Ice user conjured a massive glacier, as wide as the entire field and nearly as tall as the ceiling, and launched it towards his opponent. Izuku had almost no time to react, and did what came naturally, his instincts activating his Crystalline Armor, his conciousness drawing from All Might. Using his full, adrenaline boosted, artificially augmented strength, Izuku reared his left fist backwards and SMASHED through the glacier, instantly shattering half of it and weakening the other half's integrity so much that it crumbled, useless on the battlefield.

 _Such power..._

Izuku wasted no time, sprinting foward and drastically reducing the distance between them. Todoroki sent spikes, stalagmites, icy prisons and glaciers, but they were either dodged, blocked by his impossibly strong Crystalline Armor, or completely and uttery destroyed by his raw strength. Soon the mechanical force of nature stood before him, weakened and exhausted, but there all the same. Todoroki raised his trembling right arm, focusing on his quirk activation, but nothing happened. His fingers were completely numb, and his arm and legs were not far behind. He felt the bitter sting of defeat again, his father glaring down at him.

 _Pathetic. You know what happens when machines overheat, don't you? You need to-_

"Use your fire, Todoroki", gently whispered the human before him.

Todoroki glared at him, face twisted in rage.

"No."

"T-"

 _"No."_

Izuku sighed, and grabbed his left arm, throwing him over the boundary line. Aizawa blew his whistle. It wasn't a pleasant fall, but it wasn't rough either. He got up immediately, ignoring the pleading look from Izuku.

"Students, we do not have time for any more matches. Class ends in 15 minutes. Report back to your classes, the showers are available during that time."

Walking away from the arena, Izuku couldn't help but feel defeated from his victory. He went straight back to the classroom, not needing to have showered from sweat and bodily fluids since he had gained his quirk. He sat in silence, pondering on many things, the main one being an icy student.

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxX

After researching Reiko Yanagi, I have decided MinaDeku is no longer the pairing I want to go with. A full rewrite will arrive in a month and this story will be deleted.

Kidding! Yeah though she's such a cutie.

So I wanted something, anything else before moving onto the sports festival, then I realized that a few weeks were basically skipped, a few weeks where I can do _anything_ I want to. So I decided to put Class 1-A in a gym, with the combat arena. It felt like it wasn't enough though, as it's basically another Class A vs Class A with Izuku stretching added onto it, so after a reviewer's request, I realized I could add Class B in as well!

Looking up class 1-B was actually pretty fun, everyone knows about Kendo and Monoma, either some Tetsutetsu on the side, but these other guys were pretty cool too. That being said, I would've had this out on the 15th if I decided to leave them out.

Next chapter, the start of the Yuuei Sport's Festival.

REVIEWS!

Bestpony666, your comment actually inspired class 1-B's involvement with this chapter. It was quite difficult to research and act out these characters since they aren't represented that much in the anime and I don't read the manga. I used some well known ones and less shown ones.

Jack Redhawke, Katsuki Bakugou learned to swear at an extremely young age, I figured there was no way he wasn't dropping f bombs and smacking fools around since it was physically possible for him. That being said, Izuku picked up the habit (and words) from him. You look into the abyss, the abyss looks into you kinda deal.

As for the rushed reveal of One For All, yeah that's fair to say. Something that turns me off from a story is a poor or lengthy introduction, its one of the most important parts and I feel I could've done better in that case. I rushed this scene because most readers would be able to tell that Izuku would not be receiving One For All from the story description as well as his already existing quirk. Everyone already knows the scenes where Izuku works his way up to receive One For All, they simply don't apply here, and coming up with an awkward "Holy Stinkin' SUPER CRAP Young Midoriya your ass just got rejected!" wasn't something I wanted to lead up to, so I suspended a bit of disbelief and pulled off the band aid. Izuku's stomach does work for sure, works even better than a normal one would. It's just that his arms and legs, as well as most of his insides simply aren't alive. Everyday, little by little, Augmentation converts his cells and bodily functions into abiotic counterparts. If Izuku DID accept One For All and it WORKED, he wouldn't be able to use it in his arms or legs, limiting him to headbutts and bites. As terrifyingly fun as a Joy Mutant Izuku would be, it does not fit in this story. That's just my reasoning though, you are absolutely correct in saying I rushed a bit.

Kai Dragoon, I'm sorry I screwed it up for you. It kind of is difficult to discern "cringe" fluff and fluff fluff to me. The alternative is cutting out cute stuff, but that wouldn't work with someone like Mina, at least not to me. Apologies, and hope you find some more satisfying stuff.

you know not, I deliberately ended the last chapter the way I did because I played with the idea of some more downtime between now and the Sport's Festival, since, in my opinion, it kinda comes too quickly after USJ, making up for it in it's sheer length. I really like scenes where the class bonds with each other, there aren't enough of those in the anime and I don't read the manga.

 **-Delusional777**


	14. Adrenaline Administers

"Okay Midoriya, step...like this."

"Li-"

"NO. Like _this..._ "

"Hmm...okay-"

"Wrong."

"How?"

"Toru, you're not a great teacher."

"SHUT UP MINA HE CAME TO ME!"

"Maybe I should do this with someone else."

"No, and you will adress me as _Sensei_."

"Of course...Hagakure-sensei."

"Toru, lose the shoes."

"Ooooh good idea! Alright, keep your eyes on the socks and step...like this."

"Ah...let me try, is this good, Hagakure-sensei?"

" _Ugh_ , FINALLY! Yea you're getting it Midoriya, good job."

Izuku smiled.

"Still way too loud though...", muttered the invisible student under her breath.

Izuku's smile faded.

"I thought I was getting it..."

"You _are_ , it's just...after a certain weight, it doesn't matter how good you're steppin', you're putting too much force on the floor anyways. You can either be slow as a turtle, or get close enough to jump them, but you're never gonna be able to ninja sneak like me. Not without your shoes, anyways...keep practicing!"

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxX

"Deku."

"Yes, Kacchan?"

"How do you deal with...losing?"

"Ah! Well you beat me all the time you know? One on one...you're usually the winner and...woah, Kacchan are you okay?"

 _"Just tell me."_

"...you stop caring about winning, and start caring about getting better. Winning is only a first when we're heroes and...we're not heroes yet."

"Getting better."

"Yeah..."

"...thanks."

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxX

"Hey Izuku?"

"Yes, Mina?"

"You seem upset."

"No no, I'm just stressed, really."

"You are the _worst_ liar."

 _Is that so?_

"I'm not..."

"I'm your friend, Izu. Your _best_ friend, incase you forgot. C'mon, you can tell me anything. Who your mystery crush is, boy stuff, favorite foods...that purple haired guy..."

"I don't want to talk about it."

"Have you ever talked about it?"

"No."

"I...I'm not gonna push you. I _really_ want to, but...if you ever do want to talk about it, maybe get some things off your chest, I'm here for you."

"...thank you."

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxX

Since the joint meetup with 1-B, the sister classes haven't since been in the same room at once. Presumably, to limit the gathering of beforehand intel as well as keeping that festival interesting. To tell the the truth, it saddened Izuku, he liked Itsuka Kendo and Juzo Honenuki, and wished to see them again in class or combat. In the meantime, Aizawa doubled down on the weaknesses of Class 1-A, holding most, if not all of their homeroom classes in the gym, which meant more stretching, one sided dodgeball, and being a punching bag for Kirishima, Sato, and Ojiro. Aizawa was _very_ creative in his methods of "self improvement". This continued for weeks, with the students being heavily encouraged to practice during their off time. Then, the fateful day arrived.

Izuku recounted the items in his bag, making sure to account for everything he may possibly need. He was dressed in his uniform, hair brushed, or rather, less messy than usual, and was now filling his time before he truly had to leave. He felt a minor stinging in his right arm, which was now fully healed, down to the fingers.

 _The phantom pain has gotten better since my arm fully healed, but it's still not fully gone. I'd give it a few months before I stop feeling it._

"Izuku, is everything okay?", asked his mother.

"O-Oh yeah I'm fine! I was just thinking about the festival..."

"Try not to get too hurt okay?"

"I'll be alright mom, if I can handle Kacchan, there's not much else that can really hurt me."

"Izuku...you're almost taller than I am!"

Izuku looked at her, seeing how true her statement was. She was a little taller than the average mother, a little healthier as well, with green eyes that radiated kindness and empathy. Her smile was filled with pride.

"I'm so proud of you. You're already _my_ hero, Izuku."

Izuku felt his body swell with emotion. Incapable of tears, Izuku hugged his mother as hard as safely possible, to which she returned with all her motherly might.

"T-Thanks, mom."

"Do your best, Izuku. I love you."

"I love you too."

With that last phrase, Izuku left for the Sports Festival. Some time and space later, Izuku found himself in a large preparation room, tables and chairs with little else as decor, where all of class 1-A would be held until the events started, which was quite soon apparently. Mineta and a few others displayed their nervousness without restraint, further dampening the mood of their fellow students.

 _I guess no matter what happens, we are all about to go out there and perform infront of a LOT of people and pro heroes. It's natural to be worried. Breathe._

"Man, I wanted to wear my costume out there instead of the gym uniform!", complained Mina.

"To keep everything fair, no one can", informed Ojiro, the tailed teen.

"Yeah, I don't think anyone wants a _piss jar_ thrown at their face while also being punched...", sourly stated Bakugou.

"THAT'S NOT WHAT IT WAS!"

"Kacchan, you brought a device that causes massive explosions into an _indoor_ battle", reminded Izuku.

"I wanted to fuckin' use it alright? You would've been fine anyways."

"Pardon me, everyone, but it is almost time for us to enter. Please be prepared", warned Yaororozu, fully embracing her well earned position of class representative.

 _Uniform...check. Internal Systems?_

 **Energy Capacity: 99%**

 **Body Durability: 100%**

 **Data Functions: 100%**

 _Flexibility Progression?_

 **Increase of** **"Flexibility" from training: 6%**

 _ONLY 6 PERCENT?_ _So that's what it's like being fully human. Or perhaps I'm progressing slower? Mina you are amazing_ _for reaching that point..._

"Midoriya."

It was Todoroki, his stoic glare less of a glare, and more an expression of indifferent determination, if such a thing could even exist. He clearly had something on his mind.

"In combat, you are stronger than I am. You are more versatile, as well as durable. Your quirk works so well, because the human body is already the greatest thing evolution could possibly create, and your Augmentation brings those advantages to levels unheard of, besides All Might. However, I _will_ beat you."

The challenge was clear, and for the smallest of moments, Izuku felt joy at such audacity displayed. It felt good to be acknowledged as powerful, but even better to be challenged and fight for such power. It reminded him of Kacchan.

"I accept your challenge, Todoroki. Do your best."

Then, Todoroki reminded him of someone else.

"I know I can beat you, because unlike you, I've worked to get to where I am. My quirk doesn't help me academically, or that well physically. I never had to rely on it to the extent you do."

Izuku felt anger bubble up within him.

"What do you mean by that, Todoroki?"

Noticing the banter was no longer such, Kirishima got between the two, an assertive expression on his face. He did not want to see friends fight.

"Hey hey hey, easy there! Save that fighting for the festival, not before. We're all in the same class here."

Todoroki ignored him.

"Midoriya, you _don't deserve to be here_. Your quirk has made it so you've never had to work in your life. You have never done anything challenging until USJ. You've never had problems that you've legitmately worked to overcome, because your quirk makes you adept at everything. One day, you're going to face a problem your quirk cannot solve, and then you will fail. I do not say this out of malice, I simply offer truth. _Your quirk is the only reason you are here_."

With great fury and without hesitation, Izuku's allies sprung to his defense, while the rest of the class stood by, emotions of anger, disgust, and conflict sprouting from Todoroki's words.

"YOU DON'T KNOW SHIT ICEBRAIN!"

"HE RISKED HIS LIFE TO SAVE US, TO _SAVE ME_. HOW CAN YOU SAY HE DOESN'T DESERVE TO BE HERE?"

"TODOROKI-SAN, MIDORIYA IS ONE OF THE MOST VALIANT INDIVIDU-"

"YOU THINK I DON'T DESERVE TO BE HERE, TODOROKI?!?"

Izuku glared furiously at his enemy, momentarily surprising everyone in the room with previously unseen aggression.

"I KNOW I DON'T HAVE TO TRY AS HARD AS THE REST OF YOU, BUT I TRY MY BEST ANYWAYS! YOU ONLY USE HALF YOUR QUIRK JUST BECAUSE YOU HATE SOMEONE! YOU'RE GOING TO LET SOMEONE DIE ONE DAY BECAUSE YOU REFUSE TO TRY YOUR BEST!"

Izuku's sheer volume caused those closest to jump, while his uncharacteristically vehement tone reminded his fellow classmates just _how dangerous a person he was capable of being_. Everyone in the classroom shifted uneasily as Izuku continued his outburst. Todoroki looked shocked, even slightly threatened at seeing him lose his composure so violently. For a brief moment, Izuku forgot who he was talking to.

"YES I'M GIFTED, I'M ONE OF THE MOST GIFTED PEOPLE IN THE ENTIRE WORLD! I CAN'T CHANGE THAT AND WHY SHOULD I? WHAT'S SO WRONG WITH HAVING AN EASIER TIME HELPING PEOPLE? I'M STILL GOING TO TRY MY HARDEST ANYWAYS! I KNOW OTHERS HAVE IT WORSE OFF THAN I DO, BUT WHY SHOULD I HAVE TO PROVE MYSELF JUST TO HAVE FRIENDS?!? THATS ALL I EVER WANTED TO DO YOU SELFISH, MISERABLE PIECE OF **SHIT** , I JUST WANTED TO BE YOUR FRIEND!"

Half stunned and half furious from Midoriya's outburst, Todoroki passively let himself be pushed aside by Izuku as he left the room, opting to wait in the hallway instead, away from the others. The glares he received from his classmates were less than pleasant, but it didn't matter. Nobody was here to make friends. He noticed especially vicious looks from Bakugou and Ashido, the latter following Izuku into the hall, and the former giving him a death stare as he sat down, alone.

The pinkette followed Izuku, keeping track of his heavy footsteps as he paced the floor, looking down at the ground with a mixed expression of rage and pain. His metallic fingers unconsciously pulled and twirled his messy, green hair.

"Hey."

Izuku stopped pacing and looked back at her. To most, his expression would inspire the primal sense of self preservation, but Mina knew people, knew him, well enough to recognize suffering. She stepped foward, close enough for him to hurt if he wanted, but she knew he would never.

"I know that...there are things that happened between you and the purple guy that you don't want to talk about. I know you're hurting bad and Todoroki said horrible things. I know you need your space too it's just..."

"If I don't talk about it, it won't go away, right?"

Izuku looked considerably calmer, but the pain was all still there. He continued, forcing his tone down and breathing in and out, the activity unnaturally rapid to him.

"My friendship with Shinso, the purple haired guy...it fell because he was jealous of me, hated me. His quirk is called _Brainwash_ , if you respond to him, he can take over your mind and order you around. Others were afraid of him for it, calling it a villain's quirk but...I just wanted to be his friend. For a few months it worked out, but he grew resentful over time, and at the end of it...he started saying the things Todoroki just said, that I don't deserve to be able to do the things I can do, that I'm nothing without my quirk...what if they're right Mina?"

"They're not, I swear they're not."

"If I didn't have Augmentation, would I still be able to get into Yuuei? Would I even survive as long as I have? Would I have bad grades? Mina, would I have _ever_ been able to save you from the 0-Pointer? If I was just an average guy, would we even be friends? I don't think so. I don't think I'd be friends with any of class 1-A if my quirk wasn't heroic. I've met so many people who only like me for my quirk..."

"I love you for _you_ , Izuku!", Mina angrily spat out. Izuku paused, before standing by in stunned silence as Mina ranted on.

"I never cared about your quirk beyond thinking it makes you look cool! Your quirk doesn't define you, Izuku. It lets you do things, but YOU'RE THE ONE WHO DOES THOSE THINGS! You're my best friend because you're nice to everyone, you make me feel good, and because you _always_ put yourself on the line for other people! You got lucky with a quirk, but everyone here got lucky with their quirk. You lost an arm for us, and got hurt _so many times_. You have to let him go! He's delusional, you're the best person I have ever met, the most _human_ person I have ever met. Don't let his issues hurt you, please."

Izuku examined her tear stained face, her tense muscle and body language indicating how emotionally distraught she was. In a minute, she seemed an entirely different person...yet she believed every word she said. He could tell.

 _Love me...for me._

The words swirled around in his mind, repeating millions of times over the course of a single second. What does a phrase like that even mean? Well, she just explained it, but that wasn't the question. _How did she mean it_ , that was the question. Platonic? Romantically? They weren't dating, but it felt too strong to be platonic. If he wanted, he could spend years going over that exact phrase at that exact time, over and over again, until his mind withered. After what felt like years, he decided it didn't matter how she meant it, because Mina Ashido told him he did not need Augmentation to be worthy, and that's all he needed.

For now, anyways.

Back in reality, Mina cautiously giggled at him, breaking him from his stupor.

"Does the mumbling mean you're okay, Iz-HOLY SH-"

Not giving her a chance to finish, Izuku rushed foward and effortlessly picked her up, securely holding her in his arms as he spun around multiple times. Mina hollared and laughed from the surprised contact, legitmately surprised her friend, her shy Izu, would express himself in such a way. He stopped the spinning, gracefully setting her down on her feet, having no issues with dizziness. It's a shame the said couldn't be said for herself, as she stumbled and giggled like a drunk for a few moments before Izuku positioned her to lay against a wall.

"W-Woah! You could've just said _yes_ , man! Is this what you're like when you're comfortable?"

He smiled. "I-I guess so, that seemed fun...thank you for what you said. That's a touchy subject for me and...you said what I needed to hear. You're one of the nicest people I have ever met..."

"...I'm glad you feel that way Izu, cause I'm not gonna take ballet practice layin' down! Let's see how ticklish you are, Mr. Hero!" Mina finished her statement with low-concentration acid dripping from her fingers.

 **Threat Level: Unrivaled**

"Waitwaitwaitwaitwait MiNA NOT THE FACE!"

"Ahem."

Stopped by the bell, Mina huffed and turned towards the door that held class 1-A, spotting Yaororozu with a neutral expression. Immediately she knew her vengeance would have to wait, and rolled her eyes.

"Time?"

"Afraid so, Ashido-san."

" _Ugh._..I guess that's today."

She dramatically turned her head toward Izuku, narrowing her eyes and shaping her hands into claw-like shapes. She lowered her voice and straighted her back, trying to appear as threatening as possible.

" _You may escape today, hero, but one day I shall defeat you and lay eggs in your chest, for I am...Alien Queen!"_

Izuku smacked his forehead, trying and failing to hide his wide smile, barely holding back laughter. Mina had no qualms about laughing at her own jokes, her pleasant voice echoing through the hall. Yaororozu looked highly disturbed.

"Alright Mina, let's get the attention of some heroes!"

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxX

They heard the crowd long before they saw them. Walking out of a large, dark tunnel, Class 1-A exposed themselves to the largest crowd of people they'd ever seen. Izuku focused on dampening his enhanced hearing, with very little success. Despire the ear shattering noise, the unpleasant light adjustment from the dark tunnel into the scorching heat, and the general sense of uneasiness apon realization that all those eyes were apon them, Class 1-A stood tall and strong, one thought coursing through their minds, spoken only by Izuku.

"Let's show the world what I can do."

High above, the pro hero Present Mic's voice rang over the crowd, playing to their emotions and thoughts, hyping them up for what would come next.

" **THE YUUEI SPORTS FESTIVAL! The huge battle where fledgling heroes sharpen their swords once a year! Here are the contenders: The miraculous new stars who survived the horror of villainy firsthand, Hero Course, Class 1-A!** "

Walking further into the field, Izuku noticed the stoic impressions of his fellow classmates turn less heroic and more uncomfortable. Izuku practiced his breathing, imagining a spring of water, flowing calm through his veins.

 _I guess the crowd is really getting to them._

"Will we be able to give our best performance watched by so many people? I suppose being observed by civilians is a part of hero duty", remarked Iida.

"I kinda like it to be honest! They're so excited for us, and we get to show them who the next big heroes are, right Izu?", optimistically inspired Mina.

"O-Of course..."

 _Damnit! I AM nervous._

"...we all have to make good first impressions."

"You're right Midoriya-bro, if we can look real good in the tournament, our futures can take off...though I'll admit, the crowd does make me nervous. You nervous too, Bakugou?"

The gasoline soaked fuse that was Katsuki Bakugou responded with a simple _Nope_ before resuming his neutral expression. Izuku looked closer, and noticed he was deep in thought.

 _He is...calm_ _. Normally a crowd like this cheering for him would rile him up._ _Whats going on, Kacchan?_

Present Mic spoke again, and Izuku noticed a familiar, certain group of students approaching.

" **They haven't been getting as much time in the spotlight, but these guys are full of talent! Hero Course, Class 1-B!**

 _Honenuki, Kendo, Yanagi! So many more too now that I see them all at once!_

Present Mic continued, announcing the other first year classes that approached the field, including General Studies. Izuku looked and saw him, Hitoshi Shinso, looking right back. Anger started to flow, but then Izuku noticed the students around him, all very average looking, plain even. They all likely wanted to be in the hero course, just as Shinso does. How many of them would be denied their dreams today? His anger remained, but he found himself able to look away. All of the classes found their way to the center of the stadium, a massive field, similar to the one in Gymnasium A. The pro hero Midnight stood on a small stage, her...less than innocent costume fully embraced, with a suspiciously R-Rated whip in her hand.

"It is time for the player pledge!", she announced.

"Is it really okay that she's wearing that?"

"This is only slightly uncomfortable. The other part is actually pretty ho-OW! Jiro!"

"Shouldn't the principal be doing this?"

"He only does this for the 3rd year classes."

"QUIET EVERYONE!", Midnight silenced the crowd with a firm, dominant voice and a crack of her whip, leaving some students and audience members particularly confused at their own bodily reactions.

"Representing the students is Izuku Midoriya from Class 1-A!"

 _Woah woah woah I have to go up there?!?_

"Holy shit good luck dude", wished Kaminari.

"It's fuckin easy Deku, just say you're gonna win."

"Absolutely do NOT say that, just represent the students of Yuuei with dignity and all will be well!", helpfully suggested Iida.

Mina gave his hand a firm squeeze.

 _Okay...crowds...speeches...All Might does this often, its why he's so popular! To be number one, I will have to be good with large groups of people watching and criticizing my every move and talking to them...All Might how do you do this everyday?!?_

"You _better_ not keep me waiting, Midoriya", seductively threatened the pro hero. A small chuckle reverberated through the audience at the risque joke.

Taking a final breath, Izuku walked to the podium, collecting, filtering, and projecting his thoughts into what he would say next.

 _Streams of water...liquid calm in my veins._

Izuku found himself on the stage, infront of the microphone. Midnight felt a little too close for his liking, but he ignored her sultry gaze and spoke.

"I pledge, on behalf of my school, my teachers, and my fellow students, to uphold the dignity of Yuuei..."

 _Okay, that's decent, let's them know I take this seriously..._ _now let's really rile them up, get their emotions flowing..._

"...an-"

" **ALRIGHTY LETS GET THIS SHOW ON THE ROAD!** "

"W-What?"

Midnight leaned over his shoulder, her lips nearly touching his ear, and spoke softly. "Sorry kiddo, I know you probably had a speech prepped, but USJ really threw us off, so we need to get this started. Quick question though, to what extent would you say your quick affects your...?"

 _NOPE, NOT ANSWERING THAT._

Abruptly breaking her grip on him, Izuku stiffly speedwalked down to his classmates with as much dignity as he could muster. Kacchan was giving him a shit eating grin, while Mina offered a smile more sympathetic. He would make sure to have words with Aizawa about why he was not informed about a _damn pledge infront of an audience of thousands_.

"Let's see what the fateful first event is!"

Ontop one of the massive screens overlooking the audience, a colorful animation played in a style similar to a slot machine, until it stopped at..."Obstacle Course Race"

"All 11 classes will participate in this race, the course being the outer circumference of this stadium, about 4 kilometers!"

Midnight licked her lips sensually and cracked her whip.

"Yuuei is all about freedom, so with that in mind... _anything goes so long as you stay on the course_. TAKE YOUR PLACES EVERYONE!"

He managed to rush to the front of the crowd, where another wide tunnel was deemed the start of the obstacle course. He noticed Kacchan and Todoroki at the start, naturally, but where was...?

Mina waved and gave him a thumbs up when he looked back. "Remember what I told you Izu, see ya at the finish line!"

"I'll see you there!"

 _She's so far back...will she...?_

He purged the pessimistic thought, of course she'll make it. For now, he had to worry about himself. This was his future at stake. He couldn't see them, but the green lights attached to the gate behind him signaled a countdown.

 _Beep. Beep. Beep_.

"START!"

Immediately, Todoroki struck.

Before anyone could react, all 11 classes found themselves on slippery, frozen earth, with Izuku and Bakugou being frozen up to their legs. He then ran foward, giving himself a cinematic head start.

"HALF AND HALF BASTARD!"

"Damn!"

" **WOAH DID YOU SEE THAT!?!** **Ladies and gentlemen, Class 1-A's own Shoto Todoroki takes the lead in a stunning display of ruthlessness, severely impeding his fellow students! What a show! What's your critique on this, Eraserhead?** "

Aizawa couldn't be more monotone if his life depended on it.

"Good job."

Hearing the signature sound of popping and crackling, Izuku turned in time to see Bakugou using his explosions on his own legs to free himself, safety be damned. He flew off after he was done.

"I'M GONNA KILL YOU!"

Using his great strength, Izuku shattered the ice encasing his legs and stomped down on the ground, creating a stable surface for him to jump foward as hard as he could, using a kick to break the next patch of ice and continue the process, leapfrogging his way to his rivals.

 _Not nearly as glamorous, but it works!_

" **It looks like Todoroki's attack was not enough! We have Bakugou discovering flight and Midoriya playing leapfrog, along with Asui! There are also other students quickly recovering, this will make for fierce competition!** "

Looking back, Izuku saw most of class 1-A recover in their own ways, with...Mineta catching up? He threw his purple balls across the icy ground, using their bouncy properties to navigate the fields with ease.

 _That's honestly impressive..._

"MIDORIYA!!!", the purple haired student screamed.

Turning around, Izuku barely dodged a heavy strike from something _big_ , dropping to his knees and rolling before getting back up, and assessing the threat. His heart filled with fear, memories from long ago resurfacing.

 **"Targets found..."**

 _No way...it's the_ _faux villains and...the 0-Pointers!_

 **"LOTS."**

Infront of him stood not one, not three, but _seven_ 0-Pointers, with multiple type 1s, 2s, and 3s. He could almost feel Kacchan grinning aside him, likely fantasizing of destroying every single one as a workout, under different circumstances. Todoroki stood, silent.

" **Obstacles have shown up suddenly! Starting with...ROBO INFERNO. However will the students overcome this threat?"**

"Where did they get the money for this?", muttered Izuku, voiced Yaororozu, and thought Uraraka.

Todoroki scowled, before muttering to himself, with only Izuku hearing.

"If they really went through all this trouble...I wish they would've prepared something better...especially since my stupid old man is watching."

The apathetic student conjured his icy power, dramatically, or perhaps it was practical, spinning around and launching a massive wave of cold at everything infront of him, stopping a 0-Pointer's attack before it landed. The affected robot was frozen solid, and Todoroki ran through, using the massive cloud of dust that resulted from the chill winds of his quirk as cover, bypassing the entire Inferno.

" **HE ATTACKED AND DEFENDED IN ONE BLOW! SUCH ELEGANCE! He is the first one through! It's nearly unfair!** "

"His actions were logical and strategically sound."

" **As expected from a reccomended student! A true elite!** "

Emerging from the cloud of dust, the various robots approached the gathering of students, red eyes glaring in apathetic malice. At home, Izuku's mother watched the festival from the couch, shocked at the sheer mass of metal and circuits before her boy. Was he truely meant to fight them all? She felt pity for the other mothers watching, for she knew not all those children were as blessed as her son was. Izuku readied himself, preparing to fight for his future.

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxX

 **Author's Notes** :

The usage of the word "Love" is a peculiar thing. It can be attribute it to objects, people, ideas, emotions, and many other mediums, yet when you, an individual delve into what "Love" in any context actually means, most people will hear only what they wish to hear. Sometimes people will play it safe, relying on logic and reasoning to escape from a scary, unfamiliar alternative, while others will dive head first into the word and concept, because the only thing scarier than being loved, is not being loved. In this context, Izuku Midoriya plays it safe, because there is very little place for love in the path of heroism, and perhaps, just maybe, a small part of him is insecure. As for Mina Ashido, she acted off her instincts to make Izuku feel better, and her subconscious deemed that the best desicion. Was it reckless, out there, maybe even stupid? Up to you. What I do know, is that Izuku will have a far easier time with romance than I ever did.

Hah. Just kidding.

That "student pledge" thing took me hours to figure out. I found no info on what it's supposed to be, so I was stuck for a bit on what to write. I guess I could've changed it so it didn't start with "I pledge...", but it didn't feel right, so I just had it skipped over. Makes me feel gross if I'm being honest.

Apologies for being late with the chapter again, I am working on...another project, you may see it next week.

Reviewwwwwwwssssssss

you know not, yeah I'll admit, the stretches were lame, I filled them with Kendo and Monoma plus Sato after, but the truth is I bit off more than I could chew, and the bones of the story suffered for it.

Ekurman, I will not go into lemons or otherwise detailed sexy content. I am afraid you must find your AcidPuss-CyberDong scenes elsewhere.

Thanks to everyone who left a supportive review, makes my heart happy to see I'm decent at something. See you guys next chapter!

 **-Delusional777**


	15. Hydraulic Muscle

After watching Todoroki escape the robot ambush so easily, Bakugou and Izuku rushed foward, only to retreat back when they noticed how precariously _dangerous_ that frozen robot looked. Their instincts proved them right as it collapsed over the crowd of students.

"FUCK OFF!", cried the explosive teen as he blasted the incoming mixture of ice and metal away, the explosion's echo heard directly by the audience.

Izuku caught a massive plate of metal that fell from the robot, carefully balancing it so nobody behind him got smacked as he threw it to the side, surprising those behind him with his superhuman strength. He turned to the awestruck crowd.

 _Each class has...and Todoroki is not here...meaning two are missing!_

Turning back towards the carnage, Izuku activated his thermals, only to discover his investigation unnecessary. Kirishima, in his hardened form, broke through the wreckage and roared defiantly at the Grim Reaper itself.

"AS IF I WOULD DIE!...Bastard! If it was anyone else, they would've been killed!"

A few yards away, a familiar, steel skinned Class 1-B student also broke through the metal wastes, in nearly the same fashion as Kirishima. "Class A...REALLY IS FILLED WITH BASTARDS! If it was anyone else, they would've been killed!"

Kirishima did _not_ looked pleased.

"DAMNIT OUR QUIRKS ARE BASICALLY THE SAME! I'M HAVING HARD ENOUGH A TIME STANDING OUT ALREADY!"

"Fuckin' Icyhot...", muttered Bakugou, before blasting himself _over_ a 0-Pointer, Sero and Tokoyami following him. Izuku realized the implications of being without a way to bypass the inferno effectively.

 _Damn, I'm losing focus! I can't jump that high, and climbing without a way to take them down is dangerous,_ _there's too many of them for invisibility to be an option, thermals or no...I'm gonna have to fight them!_

 **Combat Assessment: Complete**

 **Threat: High**

 **0-Pointer Robot: Exact same as from last encounter, as it is the exact same enemy, not a replica or copy. Reccomended course of action: Utilize Ashido.**

 _The...the same 0-Pointer?!? On second thought...I'm glad I didn't pass this by._ _Ashido._..

His plan formed, he turned around to spot Mina nearby.

 _Their armor plates may be too thick normally, but I'm not alone this time!_

"MINA!"

"WHAT!?!"

After careful consideration, he held his right arm up and extended the blade to it's full length, startling a few nearby students. He could apologize later.

"I can take one down, but I need the most corrosive acid you have!"

She hesitantly nodded, rubbing her hands together and focusing, before she slathered an _extremely_ dangerous liquid over his blade. Somewhere, he could've sworn hearing inappropriate snickers, but right now he was far more focused on the subtle, complex primal instinct of "please don't melt my hand."

" **What's this? Have the class 1-A students concocted a plan?** ", announced Present Mic.

Izuku activated his Crystalline Armor over his right arm, hoping it would buy at least a few seconds in the event...no...in the eventuality, that some acid would spill onto him. He could hear the blade being eaten away at by the corrosive substance, bringing his fears closer to him. Painful memories of acid injury flowed through him, causing him to pause, but only for a moment. Wasting no more time, Izuku dashed towards the 0-Pointer.

"BE CAREFUL IZU!", called out his closest friend from behind him.

" **What's your take on his plan, Tape Man?** "

"He is going to incapacitate a 0-Pointer", unceremoniously remarked Aizawa.

" **Amazing commentary!** "

With all his might Izuku lept upwards and grabbed onto the midsection of the robot behemoth, keeping a firm grip with his left hand, drops of acid from his extended right blade sizzled and popped as they met the body of the beast below. An ominous, exponentially growing hum radiated from the robot.

 _What does that mean?_

" **Ladies and gentlemen, observe the defense mechanisms of the 0-Pointer!** "

 _Something meant to deter climbers!_

The humming grew, until it changed in pitch to a sound that could only be described as "electric". Izuku cursed and used his acid blade to stab a hand-sized hole in the robot.

 _The armor will seriously impede my_ _dexterity_ , _but it's the only thing that will save me from an electric attack!_

Plunging his hand into the opening, Izuku fully activated his Crystalline Armor, watching as his hand was incased in the _ugliest_ oven mitt ever created, but it served it's purpose. The hum and slight stinging sensation circulated through his body, as he hung limply from his oven mitt hand. After five seconds, the sensation ceased.

" **Midoriya has survived the attack, and remains latched to the robot! I've heard of clingy, but this is something else!** "

Izuku heard laughter from the audience, prompting him to uncomfortable thoughts of literally hiding inside the robot, never to see the light of day again, but he moved on, for what other option was there? Deactivating the majority of his armor, Izuku wiggled his individual digits, happy at their return to freedom. He gripped his enemy tightly.

 _Alright 0, let's_ _finish_ _what we started, all those months ago...there's no bell_ _or injured friend to save either of us this time_.

Pulling himself up with his left arm as hard as he could, Izuku let go as he finished doing so, allowing him to nearly fly upwards. He grabbed onto another part of the robot, before repeating the process once more, finding himself airborne, and in front of the unliving beast, it's eyes glowing malevolent and red. Here he was, infront of the thing that hurt his friend, put him in a hospital, and gained his entry into Yuuei...looking back, he would be confused at the emotions he felt today, or rather, emotion.

Rage.

Izuku swung his acid blade upwards, actively tapping into his adrenaline stores as he did so. The blade cut through the thick, once impenetrable plates as if they were cardboard, giving the 0-Pointer a horrendous scar. He was not done.

 _That's for me._

He reached the apex of his vertical height, only slightly over it's head. He slammed the blade downwards, twisting his body so it's full length pierced into it, his fall barely slowed by the attack, as his blade, assisted by gravity and acid, tore through the beast's enclosed metallic maw. Izuku latched onto one of the four antenna-like protrusions on it's face to stop himself from falling. The beast groaned weakly, almost as if it was a living thing. The grisly sound was music to his ears, the horns of victory manifest.

 _That's for Mina._

He hoised himself over to the downwards cut he made, and gripped both sides of the crevice, careful to position his arm blade so he would not die in the most embarrassing way possible, and placed his fingers directly under the metal plates. He pulled, harder than he had ever pulled before, and tore the plates right off the 0-Pointer's face. Underneath, exposed wiring and gadgetry shined brightly, greedily enticing him.

 _This? This is just for FUN._

Hanging on with his left hand, Izuku tore, hacked, sliced, and otherwise annihilated the brains of the giant robot, his anger overflowing. For a brief moment, he forgot everything else around him, the race, the crowd, the students, the heroes...all of it, in favor of destroying something that had destroyed him, albeit the differences in destruction were staggering. In his forgetfulness, he failed to notice his right arm blade no longer existed, as it was destroyed by Mina's acid and his own brutal treatment. He also failed to notice a change in the pressures surrounding him, until he could not longer smash in the wiring.

" **Midoriya from Class 1-A has _single handedly_ destroyed a 0-Pointer, but does he have a plan for the fall?!?**"

 _I...I'M FALLING!_

The ground approached him at breakneck speed, a proper term for what was about to happen to him unless he could suddenly grow wings or something.

 _Please...? Damn._

Fully enveloping himself in his Crystalline Armor, Izuku braced himself for a very rough landing, until he was abruptly stopped in the air by...something invisible? Deactivating his armor, he looked around, spotting three familiar students come to his rescue.

The first, a girl with pale grey hair obscuring most of her face, who looked as though she was in pain and concentrating rigorously. Second, a girl with strawberry red hair, who's hands were dramatically enlarged under him, where he was to fall. The third, and last, a boy with sandy hair and a toothy grin, on his knees with both hands spread out on the ground, which was now a quicksand-like consistency.

His saviors.

" **Class 1-B has come to the rescue! What do you think of such chivalry, Tape Boy?** "

"It is in their best interest to keep a heavy hitter in play to overcome this obstacle."

" **Hey that was pretty legit!** "

 _They...they really went out of their way for me?_

Reiko Yanagi used her Poltergeist quirk to set him down, while Itsuka Kendo and Juzo Honenuki reversed their quirks, sighing with relief. Mina ran to his position, when all of a sudden things got much _louder_. Looking around, he noticed the crowd of students engaged in combat with the robot army before them. The rest of the 0-Pointer's were destroyed by some kind of projectile attack quirk, or so he thought, until he saw Yaororozu standing next to a _literal cannon_.

 _I feel like that would've been useful to know beforehand..._

"WOAH _holy_ _shit_ Izu that was cool! You probably didn't see it, but when the robot went all _brwwwmmmmmm_ and starting shocking you, it made this _massive_ lighting shield around it, and Kaminari looked like he was gonna PEE HIMSELF!"

"NO I WASN'T!", called out Kaminari.

"Mina...thank you for helping me. I wouldn't have been able to do _any_ that without you...and..."

Izuku turned to his three saviors. Reiko Yanagi, a ghostly girl with a quirk like his own mother's, Itsuka Kendo, the diplomatic class representative of 1-B, and Jozu Honenuki, a face like a skull's with a heart of gold. He smiled generously.

"Yanagi, Kendo, Honenuki...thank you for saving my life...I know it wasn't something you had to do to win the sports festival, but you did it anyways, and for that, I think you are really good people."

Dumbstruck, Honenuki responded, "Uh...dude, you know we're trying to be heroes right?"

Yanagi nodded.

"What they're trying to say, is that winning this festival isn't everything to us...as much as we wanna take some spotlight for ourselves, Class 1-A and 1-B are friends, or at least, we should be. Don't worry about it, anytime Midoriya!", assured Kendo.

He observed the battle between the robots and the students, noting massive casualties of scrap metal and wires and plastics, being thrown every which way by cannon fire, blades, lasers, and good old fashioned raw strength. It looked to be _relatively_ safe to run through, yet it didn't feel right to him. He looked at all his friends.

"Guys...I couldn't have gotten here without your help but-"

"Oh my god 'Zuku just _go_. WIN THE RACE ALREADY!"

"HNGF OKAY THANKS FOR THE HELP GUYS- I MEAN...WELL FRIENDS!", awkwardly hollared out the boy as he rushed ahead of everyone else, pondering just how far his rivals were ahead of him.

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxX

Apon reaching the next obstacle, Izuku spotted Todoroki and Bakugou, neck and neck, with Sero and Tokoyami behind them. They looked to be only halfway through. It was easy to see why they had not gained as much as they might have from skipping past the Robo Inferno, considering why this was an obstacle. Over a massive distance, the ground was carved into a near bottomless trench, with a thousand needle-like "islands" dotting the void. There were no land bridges between these islands, instead, ropes. A single piece of rope between the islands, connected by hooks embedded into them.

Izuku suddenly felt uncertain. He had good balance, some would even say perfect, but how strong were those ropes? Were they wide enough to support his weight? What if he was too heavy to balance effectively? He had never walked along ropes before, and the distance between the islands...might be jumpable? What if he fell short? Would it be more efficient to walk across, or jump and then climb up? Maybe it was far easier than he suspected, and he had the balance to simply run across the ropes? Coming to a conclusion, he decided to at least test his balance. If he fell, he could hang on to the ropes and try jumping, and if _that_ didn't work, he could shimmy along the ropes using his hands t-

" **The Robo Inferno has been completely destroyed by the students of Yuuei! Those in the lead better step it up!** "

 _I have no time for fear! Just GO._

Izuku stepped back, boosted himself with a larger than average dose of adrenaline, and sprinted fowards, jumping to keep his momentum and nearly, just nearly, clearing the gap between the starting area and the island. He fell roughly, straining his knees to keep himself from slowing down, and repeated the process of "island hopping". He found it more advantageous to leap to islands parallel to him, slightly ahead, rather than spend time traversing the ropes over a longer gap. While hopping, he noticed something peculiar.

 _Kacchan is slowing down..._

Instead of using his previous method of flight, Katsuki Bakugou was using a similar island hopping technique, using his explosion to propel himself at an arc, landing with a roll, and repeating the process. Due to his slower movement, Todoroki was gaining the lead, now nearly at the end of the obstacle course.

 _He can't be tired already, can he?_

Izuku remembered his words to him, from a conversation he had before the sports festival, _"Deku...how do you deal with...losing?"._ He pieced it together.

 _He's saving his energy for something! Either for me or for Todoroki, but he knows we will all likely make it to the final round, and that's when he'll burst! He really has thought about this._

" **Introducing our next obstacle...The Fall!** "

As Present Mic's voice rang over the stadium, Izuku looked behind him and saw the majority of the other classes had caught up, cautiously approaching the pit. The froglike Tsuyu fearlessly jumped, landing on the rope halfway between her jumping point and the nearest island, before swiftly climbing foward with no difficulty.

 _Not as fast as me, but still pretty fast! I better go before they catch up._

As he as about to jump again, something audible caught his attention. Despite the sheer distance between them, he picked up the faint sound of an eccentric girl with boundless energy, reminding him of Mina in a way, speaking about "babies" and companies, with an odd _shkk!_ sound of something embedding itself in an island. Curiosity turned to terror as he saw her fall jump into the pit, laughing as she did so. He stared, completely bewildered.

 _T...Those pits have nets or_ _something right?!?_

He peered over the edge, noting the previous sound was a tether, and not a second later, the... _eccentric_ girl soared up the island and completely over it, howling with laughter as she did so, and landed deftly next to him. She had unique pink hair, a lighter shade than Mina's, with an unusual apparatus strapped to her chest, which looked to be the recall point for the tethers. She wore large, white metal boots, which hummed slightly, indicating fans were in them. Atop her head, a pair of yellow goggles with a crosshair design. She did not seem to take notice of him, and immediately started muttering to herself, in a similar fashion to which he also muttered.

 _She cleared half the course in an instant!_

"Damn! The tethers did not launch me far enough! I was supposed to clear the entire course with that! I must replace them with something else, a higher tension! Ah well, at least the boots performed _perfectly!_ Wouldn't be here if they didn't!", the mysterious girl finished her rant with an unstable, but genuine laugh.

 _Is she...taking something...?_

Cautiously, Izuku grabbed her attention.

"He-"

"-OH MY GOODNESS! You're the hero course robot guy right? I saw what you did to that 0-Pointer, you really are the perfect machine! Tell me, do paradoxes affect you in any way? I've always been curious on how an artificial intelligence as advanced as you are would react to an unsolvable statement! Okay, here goes, if-"

"I'm _not_ a robot or an AI", responded Izuku with a tinge of annoyance.

Unfettered, the girl continued. "Oh I see! Well could you take off your clothes? I'd undress you myself but I've been told not to do anything _unflattering_ while on camera, unbelievable right? Your arms are completely metal, but your face isn't! I really need to see where the man begins and ends, so to speak, as well as how you function, you are worthy of study! A blood sample would be great too! Aha!"

She grabbed one of the tethers she used to traverse The Fall, it's point sharp and gleaming, despite the rock it was previously embedded into.

"We can use this, it'll take just a minute, what do you say?"

Izuku was in full blush, inching backwards from the increasingly threatening inventor with an insaitable hunger in her eyes. If he could describe how he felt, his main phrase would be _in danger_. Weakly, he uttered out an answer, hoping he wouldn't have to use his invisibility this early in the festival.

"M-M-Maybe after all this?"

She paused, before smiling even wider.

"So that's a YES? Incredible! I don't hear that word often enough! My name is Mei Hatsume, yours?"

"I-Izuku Midoriya."

"Nice to meet ya! Gotta go!"

With that, Hatsume grappled and flew to the other side of The Fall, effectively stealing the spotlight from everyone.

 _I don't think I can avoid her forever..._

He continued island hopping until he made it across, still behind Todoroki and Kacchan, but not nearly as far away as he was. He was gaining on them, it was only a matter of time before he took first place.

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxX

After some more running Izuku found the next obstacle. The slight indentations on the ground formed a swirling pattern of death, presumably. Other than the massive number of outlines and indentations, there were no other indicators that this _was_ an obstacle. Kacchan and Todoroki stepped carefully around the darkened circles on the ground.

 _It's a minefield! This...this is perfect._

Izuku broke into a sprint, even faster than he had been running before. He knew his unique physiology would allow him to coordinate flawlessly where others would fall short, even when running. His feet fell and moved quickly, but he made no mistakes, deftly avoiding the mines.

He caught up to them in record time, about to even surpass, until he heard the familiar, unforgettable sound of popping and crackling. He armored his right side against Bakugou's explosion, keeping his momentum. Then he heard a different sound, one of frost forming and ice breaking, approaching him from the left. Several mines exploded from the flash freeze, but they were evidently not very strong, as the ice did not break. He extended his left arm blade and cut down the ice before it reached him, while reactivating his armor on the right side to absorb another blow, perfectly in sync with his body and mind. After a few more seconds, he was out of Bakugou's attack range entirely. After half a minute of dodging and running, Bakugou made another move. Pops and crackles.

 _Odd, I'm out of his range, and to fire directly at me would propel him in the opposite direction, slowing him down further. Is he really going to hit Todoroki instead?_

Taking a literal picture of the track infront of him, Izuku turned his head see Bakugou fly past him, at far greater speeds than he had demonstrated before. His individual explosions were in full throttle, nearly indistinguishable from each other, as they blended into a stream of raw, audible power.

 _That's faster than Iida's fastest! Was this what he was saving up for?_

The bomb of the hour himself turned around in flight, his explosions too far away to harm anyone, until what he did next. "FAT CHANCE, DEKU. _THIS_ IS WHAT I WAS SAVING UP FOR, YOU ACID JAR HAULING _BITCH!_ STUN GRENADE!"

At one moment, Izuku's sight was among the best in the world, capable of seeing over vast distances with clarity unmatched by natural means. In the next, his sight was overloaded with a brutal overabundance of light. His ears, while not overloaded like his eyes, felt as though they were smashed in with a hammer. He kept running for as long as he remembered the track ahead of him, but after that, was forced to stop.

 _Exposing a new move early just to get back at me, in the middle of the sport's festival! K_ _acchan you are SUCH A...UGH! Modern flashbangs blind you for roughly 10 to 15 seconds, and the hearing is fully restored after a few hours. Theoretically I should already have recovered by now, with my advanced condition. Dizziness? No, I don't feel dizzy. At least I got that going for me..._

Seconds passed in slow motion, and Izuku started to panic when the symptoms of Bakugou's attack still had not worn off. This was bad. What did he do when things were bad? Think about the good, of course. Let's see...

 _I put pretty good distance between myself and Todoroki, and while he wasn't as close to Kacchan's stun grenade as I was, the flash should still disorient him to some extent. Us 3 were FAR ahead of everyone else, so they shouldn't be an issue. If Kacchan DOES win the race, he'll be a major target for the next round, making things easier on myself. This isn't so bad._

Blinking a few times, Izuku made out a faint, blurry image of his surroundings. His ears were still effectively deaf, but that was fine if he could see. He took in his surroundings the best he could, and saw Todoroki recovering as well. Kacchan...

 _No._

Izuku took off running once more, hoping his eyes had deceived him in some strange way, but they had not. Far ahead of him, Katsuki Bakugou was running in a straight line, no mines in his path, towards victory.

" **HEYYYYYY! Looks like 2nd and 3rd place have recovered from that killer flash attack! Will their desperate measures be enough to reclaim victory!** "

Aizawa, presumably, responded with something snarky or indifferent. Izuku couldn't tell.

 _" **Aizawa!** "_

 _Ears shot out, and I can still hear him..._

Feeling a drastic drop in humidity, Izuku deduced an attack. Glancing behind, he noticed, just barely noticed, a building sized glacier approaching him at the speed of a car, with Todoroki sliding across the formed ice left in it's wake.

 _That can't be easy to keep up, both of them are plowing through their energy!_

Just as the glacier overtook him, Izuku spun around and delivered the strongest kick possible, his augmented leg's metal fury smashing through the base of icy wrath, causing it to collapse in it's tracks, failing it's creator.

It also fell _on_ Izuku.

Seeing an opponent buried and incapacitated, Todoroki continued sliding over the ice, preparing an icy coat for the ground ahead of him. With Midoryia out of commission, and Bakugou far ahead, it did not matter if he was helping the others by making the mines obsolete, he just needed to catch up as far as possible. Midoriya has been a thorn in his side for too long, assuming notions of friendship for...whatever his reasons could be.

 _I can't figure out why he decided to keep assuming friendship, especially after he defeated me...twice. Does he think I am that stupid to fall for his ruse? That outburst as well...such manipulation and feigned emotion will likely make it more difficult for my further interactions with the class. It does not matter. Midoriya...Bakugou...father...no matter how strong they are, I will not need HIS power to overcome them. I have all I need right h-_

Pulled from his thoughts by the sound of shattering ice, Todoroki felt something cold and firm grasp onto his ankle. Looking down, he saw a truly terrifying sight. Izuku Midoriya, glaring directly at him, a cold expression of annoyance etched into his face and an almost unnoticeable bloodlust in his dead, puppet-like eyes, which shimmered gold, as if the heat from his rage, combined with the ice, formed a mirage over his face. He almost would've believed it was a mirage, but the metal arm, shattered ice, and uncomfortably tight grasp on his ankle were all _very_ real.

The buried threat pulled on his ankle roughly and without restraint, toppling him onto his own ice. Before he was able to even get up, Midoriya had pulled himself fully out from under the glacier, which was now that much more destroyed than it was before. Todoroki raised his hand to attack, but before he could even raise it fully, Midoriya had him on the floor. He silently fumed at how he even _did that_

 _When in close quarters he is too fast to account for, and his strength far outclasses everyone else's, if that arm wrestling match is to be taken seriously. He is strong enough to shatter my ice, fast enough to outclass my reactions in melee range, and is so unbelievably durable that even if I did throw everything I had at him...he would just get right back up, wouldn't he? Not even my own father is so frustrating an enemy! That's not even taking into account his extra abilities. This is so FRUSTRATING. I..._

Todoroki suddenly felt a loss of control and immediate fear associated with the feeling. The ice below him was wet, and Izuku Midoriya had a smile on his face. To others, this smile would be one of sadism, of unneeded torment being thoroughly enjoyed. To him though, it was anticipation, he _wanted_ what happened next.

"Do it, Todoroki. _Use it_."

"I will _never_ use his power."

Izuku frowned.

"Todoroki, I might have it easy, but I always try my best, and use everything I have..."

Midoriya brought his right hand in front of him, extending...a broken blade. From an earlier fight, likely.

"...sometimes the things I use aren't even _mine_ , but it doesn't matter. I wouldn't have been able to do what I do without it. Regardless of where power comes from-"

 _"Midoriya, I really don't care."_

" **In first place, as the first student to reach the finish line, Katsuki Bakugou everybody!** ", announced Present Mic over the two students.

After a long silence, he replied, "That's unfortunate."

Izuku Midoriya sighed, before grabbing Todoroki and _gently_ throwing him as far as he could. He turned around and broke into a sprint after, frustration gnawing at his thoughts the entire way.

 _So much for that. He was so close to using it...he just doesn't care about anything. Why won't he use his father's power despite it's advantages? It's an amazing gift. I guess I'll never truly understand that kind of association. I say "you can save lives", and he'll respond "My father's power saves lives". As long as he is stuck on that "father's power" idea, any arguments are invalid since he just refuses to listen! I'm worried it won't be long before Aizawa is fed up with it, I'm sure._ _I didn't have to do that. I could've thrown him aside the moment I got my hands on him, and kept running. I might have caught up to him...maybe even got first myself._

Izuku saw a tunnel, with a very distant shape at the end, enshrouded by light. Despite his ordeals, he couldn't help but smile at the sight.

 _You earned this victory, Kacchan._

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxX

 **Author's Notes:**

Subject: I.

Status: Here.

So, I'm late a week (or maybe two? I really hope not) and the chapter is average, what gives? A lot of factors, mainly my own procrastination and lack of motivation. I put a value on education before other things, and this last week of tests has been brutal. That, combined with a personal matter has limited the desire for improving my soul dramatically. I will try and do better. I admit, it feels good to write again.

Oh so often when I read an fanfic where Izuku actually formed a succesful, functioning friendship with Bakugou, I notice that Bakugou is toned down, a little friendlier, maybe even sometimes nice. This is to reflect the changes made by a DIFFERENT version of Izuku in this world. What I DON'T see that often though, is Izuku being influenced by Bakugou, as if his altruistic, polite, friendly cinnamon roll self can change others, but cannot be changed himself, beyond what is explicitly mentioned by the author. Bakugou, despite being such a jackass bitch ass, head ass motherf-, is by all rights, a powerful influence on those around him. Izuku being friends with him means that IZUKU will be influenced by Bakugou just as much, if not MORE, than Bakugou is influenced by him. Considering Bakugou in relation to my fanfic, combined with Izuku's quirk, Izuku Midoriya is more aggressive, vindictive, prone to bouts of emotion, and more open to personal confrontations that he was in the original storyline. You may have noticed that some of these, arguably lots of these qualities are negative to heroism. That's because Bakugou is not a good person at his core, at least, so I've seen so far. In the words of some smart guy I don't actually care about, likely dead, and likely doesn't want me to care about em, "He who fights with monsters should be careful lest he thereby become a monster. And if thou gaze long into an abyss, the abyss will also gaze into thee." People become what they love and hate, because their mind focuses on it.

I don't think I ever explained how Izuku sees through his armor when it covers his face. It's kind of like a one way mirror, where it can be seen through far easier from one side than it does the other. That being said though, looking through a pitch black veil obscures his vision when its over his face.

Re-Views!

Grislyfrostbite, I have considered the idea of a golden blush, but I decided against it to avoid a "gold overflow" issue, as his eyes are gold as well. There was also the issue of never seeing a golden blush in real life, and without that depiction, including how it translated to an animated work, I played it safe and kept the blush red. The logic? Izuku's artificial skin takes in light differently, so the normally gold blood looks red from an outsider's view looking in. Weak, I know.

See you guys in the Calvary Battle! - **Delusional777**


	16. Iron Thighs

Gathering his thoughts and his purpose, Izuku briefly recapped his progress.

 _I got past the Obstacle Course, but I still have to cross the finish line. Todoroki really didn't want me to win, but I'm done with him, for now anyways. I just have to keep going._

With Todoroki out of the way, and the other contestants still navigating the minefield, Izuku had free reign to chase after Kacchan, upset at losing first, but moderately content with second place. While he wished that he would've been able to support his high standards, straight A's and first place, he knew that it would be impossible to come first in every aspect. There were simply too many powerful players in Yuuei, a collection of the best adolescents from Japan, and even some from outside Japan. Once he finished running through the dim tunnel with a once enticing light at the end, the volume from the other side increased massively.

Kacchan awaited him, his eyes turned towards the tunnel. Arms crossed, a nearly imperceptible smile barely visible, and his head held high, as it often was, Izuku concluded to be basking in the all too familiar aura of smugness. A shame it was not his own.

 _Look at him. So smug. I'm surprised he isn't more expressive about it, he must be keeping his mind on the festival._

" **In second place, Izuku Midoriya! He had a slow start, but there's nothing wrong with second! Is that a third I see? Indeed! Shoto Todoroki, _son of Endeavor_.**"

Immediately following that comment, he swore he could hear a hitch in Todoroki's breath.

" **The top three spots are taken, all by Class 1-A I might add! Hurry up everybody!** "

Time passed, and other students got through the finish line, most of them drenched in sweat, panting and laying on the (somewhat) soft grass below. He noted most of class 1-A and 1-B getting through before any others.

 _They look so exhausted...I guess I can see why Todoroki and Shinso had reason for what they said. Their fatigue will continue to build and hinder them as the festival continues. Oddly enough Kacchan doesn't like tired at all, just a little upset, but he ALWAYS looks upset. Todoroki looks energized as well. They are clearly more physically fit than most, but to have that much of an advantage...yes, I can see why some will resent what I can do._

"Heyyyyy duuuuuude what's up?", eagerly announced Mina out of nowhere, startling him.

 _When did she get here?!? Was I daydreaming or something?_

"Pffft, what was that? Thinking about something you shouldn't be, 'Zuku?"

"N-No, you just startled me. What were you thinking about?"

"How hot Midnight looks in that getup", casually replied Mina without missing a single beat.

Before he could stop himself, Izuku glanced towards the R-Rated heroine, taking in her...appeal. Then, the implications of Mina's words struck him, bloodying his face crimson.

 _Mina oh my-_

"-GOD."

"HAHAHAHAHA!"

He covered his scorching face with his cool hands, a welcome contrast to his uncomfortable position. "Mina...we are on _national television_ why are you d-"

"Because it's fun, Izu! Besides, nobody is gonna care or even know what we're talking about. I have a better question though, and I really want you to be honest with me on this one. Why do you put up with it?"

 _Put up with it...? Well...this is embarrassing._

"It...it makes you smile, and if messing with me makes you happier then it's always worth it. It's also kind of fun, letting your energy spread to me, in that way...does that make sense?"

She wrapped her arms around him, their slight height difference made up by her horns, which looked strangely appealing to him. He resisted his urge for contact.

"Mmmhm...makes plenty sense to me, Izu. Got one more question for ya before they start whatever the next thing is..."

Her voice was soft, almost alluringly so. It left Izuku confused how a bubbly, energetic, and overall _loud_ girl could shift her voice to so many tones, each conveying a different intention, filled with multiple, mixing emotions, yet all from the same person. It was almost...symphonic.

 _Her tone is a red flag by itself! Well...after what she just said I don't think it can get much worse. Just one more thing can't hurt, right?_

"Would you date anyone in the next three years if you wanted to? I know I teased you about it pretty bad, but if you do got a mystery crush, would you ever ask them out?"

Despite Mina's usual confidence, Izuku could tell there was reluctance, and maybe even slight embarrassment behind her words. She watched him intently, likely using her skill of social cues to gather whatever information she could from him. For whatever foreign reason, she was unnaturally invested in this question.

 _Is...is she asking what I think she's asking?_

"I...I don't know. I really want to focus on my hero career, it's why I chose _this_ school after all, but the thought has crossed my mind. Maybe?"

"Well _think_ about it! This stuff is important Izu! _Nobody_ in our class is dating, and I predicted three romances already! At least tell me later, okay?"

Caught off guard by her sudden shifts in seriousness and enthusiasm, Izuku only had time to utter a single, indecisive phrase before Midnight started her announcement.

"I'll think abou-"

"The first event is over, everyone! Let's take a look at the results!"

Screens around the stadium lit up, at first revealing Kacchan, himself, and Todoroki, as 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place. Then they showed the rest of those that made it past the Obstacle Course, up to the first 42 students. He noticed the majority of those who made it were from the sibling hero courses. Midnight continued explaining, while he took conscious effort not to look at her _too_ closely.

 _Mina why did you have to say...that!?!_

"Those are the ones who will proceed onto the next event! As for the others, it's unfortunate, but don't worry, we've prepared other chances for you to shine! The real competition begins next, so give it your all!"

The screens around the stadium blared, before showing the same, slot machine type animation it did before.

"Now for the next challenge! I already know what it is, but I love seeing people _beg_ to know. What could it be?"

 _"What could it be~?"_

 _She does NOT have to phrase it like that!_

He glanced at Mina, who was looking at him mischievously and holding back a laugh.

 _Don't say it Mina!_

The animation ended, with the phrase **Calvary Battle** displayed.

 _Oh! I remember this_ _from past festivals!_

"Allow me to explain. The participants can form teams of two to four people as they wish. It is the same as a normal calvary battle, with _one large exception_. Based on the results of last game, each person has been assigned a point value..."

"Aha! So that means each team is worth different points based on who is in it!", exclaimed Uraraka.

"Ahhhhhh I get it!", announced Mina.

"Hmpf. Looks like I'll have to team with at least one of you people. You'd have to be stupid if you don't want the free win I'm giving you", arrogantly uttered Bakugou.

"YOU GUYS REALLY DON'T KNOW HOW TO SHUT UP EVEN THOUGH I'M TALKING HUH?!?", Midnight directly addressed to the students.

Uncomfortable, submissive silence accompanied their shame.

"Hmpf! As I was saying, the individual points assigned go up by five starting from the _bottom_. 42nd place has five, 41st has ten, and so on, with the exception of 1st place, which has **10 Million Points**!"

Izuku heard a grunt from Kacchan, but nothing more. He had barely reacted to what was otherwise a gamechanging revelation, as though it was of little consequence to what he believed was going to happen.

 _Kacchan, your confidence is too much sometimes! You better be planning..._

He smiled directly at his longtime rival, who passively stared back.

 _...because I'm coming for you_.

The multiple screens across the stadium lit up, showing the places and point values of each individual student. Izuku made sure to get a clear look at it for future reference.

"That's right! This is a chance for those at the _bottom_ of the food chain to overthrow the one _on top_. Those who are number one will often suffer more in Yuuei High, that is the meaning of _Plus Ultra_. Katsuki Bakugou is worth **10 Million Points**!"

"Now I'll explain the rules of the Calvary Battle. You have 15 minutes, and each team is worth the total of their member's points. The riders will wear a headband representing those points on their forehead. Teams will try to grab each other's headbands until time runs out, and try to keep as many points as they can. Stolen headbands must be worn from the neck up, so the more victorious you are, the harder it'll be to keep those points. This will be a cruel fight, quirks allowed..."

 _Kacchan is about to hurt a LOT of people._

"...HOWEVER, you cannot use attacks to make people fall on purpose! Doing so will will result in a red card and immediate removal!"

 _Phew!_

Bakugou exhaled forcefully, clearly disappointed.

"You have 15 minutes to build your team. START!"

Izuku looked around him, attempting to formulate the perfect team. He likely had Mina just from how close they are, and Iida might agree as well. Kirishima...might actually go with Bakugou, along with Kaminari. Yaororozu? Surprisingly already taken by Todoroki. He must have a plan. Todoroki would never agree to pair up with him, nor would Kacchan.

 _I'm too heavy to be a rider, so I'll have to be the horse...Mina could play offensively by blinding horses and riders, and defensively once we get the **10 Million** headband, but defense won't be as strong since we can't use her acid to make people slip, only covering the ground beforehand. Iida could've __been a good horse, but there aren't any other speedsters here, so we would still have to limit ourselves to the slowest horse, which defeats the tactical purpose of having Iida. We need someone who doesn't require their hands to effectively use their quirks. Tokoyami seems to be the strongest contender, and would prove perfect for defense. However, having a strong, dedicated defense and being able to_ _blind one, or two opponents tops and then going in doesn't mean we'll get the headbands, we will need someone else, someone who will specialize in headband retrieval...got it!_

He turned to Mina, eager to make his case.

"M-

"OF COURSE I'll be on your team Izu, but only if you _promise_ to answer the question I asked earlier."

He sighed. "I promise you'll have your answer after the festival is over."

"WOO! Can't wait to throw some acid in Todoroki's eyes again! You're probably gonna be the horse right? I guess that means I'm gonna _ride you_ _, Midori~_ "

Approximately 1/7th of a second later, Izuku was in metaphorical flames, too shocked to even look away from his pre-shamed friend. Mina took longer to measure the weight of her words, but when the raw strength of the mental image she conjured cast her brain into a pit of shame, her face turned almost dark purple, as she developed a stutter to match her friend's.

"M-M-Mi-"

"S-S-Shit Izu I was just t-tryna embarrass you I-I...I _dont think sometimes_ , okay? Let's just forget what I said, that was t-too far! N-Nobody is even paying attention to us, it's fine!"

"M-Mina."

"Even if t-they were paying attention, _so what?_ It's nobody's business what I say to you i-in a _private conversation_."

"Mina..."

"N-Not to say that it was excusable or anything! _I'm really sorry Izuku._ I was super weird there and I'm sorry if I made you uncomfortable or anything I was just trying to keep the mood li-"

 _"Mina, it's okay."_

Instead of being their usual backdrop for stars, the color void in her eyes almost looked like it was filled with the darkness of regret, her yellow scalara shining brightly, embarrased and exposed to all who could see her, yet it was only him. So quickly she seemed to recede inwards, her boundless energy restrained and positivity killed. To Izuku, it was tragic to see someone so happy change so quickly.

"It's...okay?", she asked.

He nearly held her shoulder, but decided against it at the last second, running his augmented hand through his nearly normal green hair, nervousness still alive and coursing through his veins.

"Y-Yes. It's okay. Sometimes we blurt stuff out without thinking. It happens to everyone...even happens to me, actually. It's fine, don't worry about it."

Relief flowed back into her, not as a flood, but as a river, gradually wearing down the remorse and humiliation she felt. It was an unspoken agreement between them that decided it was best if the incident was forgotten.

"Ah...okay...thanks. Do you have a plan for the Calvary Battle?"

Izuku cleared his throat before responding, admittedly not out of any physical necessity. "Yes, I'm thinking _Tokoyami_ would be a good second horse, as he doesn't need his hands to use his quirk, which can be used as a strong defense."

"Ohhh, smart...so, uh...", she started, bringing her voice to a cautious whisper.

 _"Am I riding?"_

"Y-Yes, you will use your acid to attack and defend. You can use the strong stuff for Todoroki's ice, and weaker acids for everything else."

"Gotcha! That's only three though...who's gonna be the last horse?"

"It's a _secret_...", he said, shamelessly enticing her.

"W-What!?! What is it with you and having _secrets_ now? Tell me!"

"Let's get Tokoyami on board first."

 _"Ugh!"_

 _That's for you-know-what, Mina!_

Izuku and Mina searched the fields, until they caught sight of the raven-headed student. Unfortunately, they also saw Bakugou, Uraraka, and Kirishima, presumably attempting to recruit him.

" _Damn, we're too late..._ ", he muttered out loud.

"No we're not, Izu! He hasn't agreed yet."

"Well, yes...but they're trying t-"

"There's no such thing as _dibs_ , Izuku. It's not rude to go after what you want, everyone else is doing the exact same thing! Imagine...imagine if someone was getting too buddy buddy with your mystery crush. Wouldn't you try and get her before someone else does? Wouldn't you care?"

"I..."

 _Why...why is that such a compelling arguement? I hardly ever thought about that romantic drama_ _before...but if someone else did try to...ugh._

He did not like the thought. Not. One. Bit.

"Mina?"

"Huh?"

"Thank you."

Izuku walked foward, keeping his eyes keenly on Tokoyami, not diverting to Kacchan or Kirishima. He had a goal, and he had to remain focused.

"Tokoyami-san."

"Yes, Mido-"

"Oi, Deku. Step off, we got here first", said Kacchan, a surprisingly cool tone conveying his focus, opposite his usual rage. Kirishima looked uncomfortable, as though he was not used to this side of him. Tokoyami's expression remained neutral, then again, it was difficult to physically discern emotions from him, considering his attitude and... _unique physiology_.

"Kacchan, I don't think he has decided yet."

"I have."

"Eh?"

"Huh?"

"You...have?"

Tokoyami nodded.

 _"Yes, Midoriya-san._ _I will join your team."_

"He didn't even _say_ anything to you", Kacchan noted.

"I have faith in him."

After a short period of silence, Bakugou sighed and walked off, muttering to Kirishima about some recruiting the "weird chick" instead, leaving the group of three to themselves. Izuku had questions.

"Tokoyami...do you really have enough faith in me to join my team just because _I_ am in it, despite the **10 Million** prize offering itself to you?"

He lifted his head up towards the taller boy. "Midoryia, I am well aware of Bakugou's ambitions. Despite his recent change in attitude, I still regard him as volatile, unstable, and unreliable. You, on the other hand, will assure yourself as well as your team a guaranteed extension to the next trial, with or without the grand prize. I trust my judgement, so I trust you."

 _Woah...was he planning this from the beginning? He must have observed the entire class' character by now._

"Furthermore, Kirishima called me _Brokoyami_ in his attempt at diplomacy."

" _Pffft,_ he called you _Brokoyami?_ That is just like him", remarked Mina.

"I did not appreciate it."

"Well Tokoyami, I'm glad you joined us. Now we only need one more member for our team, after that I'll explain our strategy. Is that okay?"

"That is sensible...however I do have some concerns. Concerns about you."

Caught off guard, he dumbly responded "Huh?"

"It is in regards to your adversity with Todoroki. When I first saw you in action, your veins were filled with ice. Calm, collected, you had a plan, and behind that, a backup plan. You stuck to your tactics before opting for improvisation. Your relationship with Bakugou led me to believe that your good nature and analytical mind would overcome any other vices of your own. However, considering your near-violent outburst towards Todoroki, I now believe if a villain had prior information about you, they would be able to bait or otherwise emotionally manipulate you into failure."

Mina looked as though she wanted to protest, but Tokoyami merely took a breath before continuing his speech.

"Taking this personal conflict between you and Todoroki into consideration, I need to know something."

Tokoyami stepped foward, giving Izuku a surprisingly intimidating glare.

"Can you control yourself?"

Mina answered before he could, but he spoke for himself soon after.

"Tokoyami, that _icy emo dick_ deserved everything he got! H-"

"You're right, Tokoyami-san."

Mina, having been stopped short, merely responded with a short, _huh?_ -like noise. Izuku thought back to how he felt when Todoroki lashed out at him, as well as when he lashed out at the 0-Pointer. Never before have his emotions ever overcome him, at least not to his knowledge, but thinking over the incidents, he became painfully aware of his inefficiencies.

 _The 0-Pointer..._ _I should have let Yaororozu handle it, or someone with a destructive quirk...but I let my anger get ahead of me. She wouldn't have been able to fire at it without the risk of hitting me. All I did was slow everyone else down...and as for Todoroki..._

"You're right...I have been unable to control myself lately. Todoroki got under my skin easier than I'd like to admit, and maybe he _does_ deserve the things I've said to him...but it doesn't matter if he deserves it or not. It's not up to a hero to decide what a villain deserves. Their emotions can't get in the way of making the world a better place. He will just be another opponent, nothing more."

"I see. That assures me considerably."

Tokoyami finished speaking, but Mina looked discontent with the results of his conversation.

"Izu...I can't tell you to stay angry at him, because that wouldn't be right, even if that's what I'd do. Just...don't _forget_ that he said those things."

Interrupting his response, a stiff, stinging pain caused him to collapse in literal shock. Electric tingling, but far more intense than it had ever been, assaulted his head with ferocity that would make Kacchan blush. It felt as though his brain was being twisted and molded, a grotesque fusion of flesh and machine. Simply put, it was the _worst_ head trauma he'd ever gone through. He hadn't felt the shock of a new augmention so strongly ever since his quirk first activated.

"IZUKU!"

"Midoriya!"

He held himself tightly until the shock rapids turned into a gentle stream. Izuku stood straight up once more, looking at his friends, who were fraught with fear for his well being. Tokoyami observed him curiously, as though he was a specimen to be poked and prodded. Mina looked more reserved, actively afraid even, as though if she touched him she would only make the situation worse, but she obviously wanted to do _something_ at least.

 _They're worried about you, but you're fine. So say something already!_

"I-I'm fine guys, don't worry. It's...a part of my quirk."

"Midoriya-san, is this _normal_ for you?"

"Yes. Well...sorta? It doesn't happen a lot, but it is _supposed_ to happen whenever my quirk grows. I'll be alright, we should move on."

Mina shifted uncomfortably, her concern for him overflowing. "Are you sure?"

"Yes, I'm sure."

She did not looked satisfied with the answer, but it was all he could really say.

"I believe we should move on to collect our last harbinger of victory..."

"Ah...right. Mina, Tokoyami, remember when I fell while fighting the 0-Pointer?"

After a brief explanation, Izuku and his friends walked around, looking for a certain, familiar group of students. While on their way, he searched through his internal database, hoping to find whatever had changed in him.

 _Must have been something big to create that much of an impression._

 **New Augmentation: M.A.S.C.E**.

 **Definitions/Uses: MASCE (Memory Assisted Social Communications Enhancer) assists the user in social interaction, so they may gain access to new information and tactical advantages through the use of persuasion, interrogation, and intimidation. Capable of determining personality type, key characteristics, and other relevant information during social intercourse.**

 _Woah...that explains the headache. Way more than just pheromones or blades in my arms. Memory assisted...so that means the more I know about them, the more effective MASCE will be._ _This might actually help me with a few things._

Izuku glanced at Mina, her face no longer wrought with worry, instead subtly focused, as though she was deep in thought. She almost looked displeased.

 _I really wish I had gotten this earlier._

After walking around and contemplating his new augmentation, he had found who he'd been looking for. Itsuka Kendo, along with another girl he did not recognize, were speaking to a familiar girl with pale grey hair, signs of sleep deprivation around her eyes, and a monotone, zombie-like expression. Reiko Yanagi, one of the few to defeat Katsuki Bakugou in combat, and the centerpiece of his plan for the Cavalry Battle.

 _A telekinetic quirk would be perfect to retrieve the headbands, and with our defense, it won't be as risky to get in close. She could also block projectiles from others, if it comes to that._ _The best part? She doesn't need her hands to use her quirk._

Itsuka, being the natural diplomat she was, noticed his hungry gaze directed towards her friend, and easily put two and two together. She wouldn't say she glared at him, but would later admit to herself a degree of stress from the encounter.

 _Alright, activate MASCE...right? I don't actually know how to turn it "on" bu-_

Over the course of a second, hundreds of screens assulted his vision, directly feeding him memories from their past encounters. He was too shocked to read them, but it turned out he didn't need to, as the information went straight to his conciousness instead.

 **Itsuka Kendo: Assertive, courageous, intelligent, and diplomatic. Past interactions conclude she holds a friendly disposition towards user, as well as a high degree of respect towards moral character. Prediction: She is aware of your intentions towards Reiko Yanagi.**

 _She knows?!? Damn._

True to the prediction, Kendo stepped infront of his target, almost in a guarding fashion, and put on a pretty convincing smile that would've fooled him at an earlier point.

"Hey there, Midoriya-san. Is there something you want to talk about?"

 _I want to steal one of your team members, who is also a classmate and likely a friend, to further my own goals because I'm a horrible person._ _How do I even bring this up?_ _This isn't like Tokoyami...she already agreed to be on Kendo's team!_

Then, his thoughts shifted.

 _I can't let Mina or Tokoyami down. This is a competition, and I need every edge I can get. If not for me, then for them._ _She holds respect for my "Moral Character" so...I should be honest and polite here._

"Kendo-san, I'm sorry about this, but I have a proposition for Yanagi to...to join my team."

"Ah...I see. Well...", Kendo stepped foward, carefully invading his personal space.

"While I do think you guys would make a _lovely_ _couple_ , it really isn't smart to arrange at date at the sports festival, ya know?"

"H-Huh!?! W-Wait, no that's not..."

"Oh...I see. This Yanagi proposition is just an excuse to get close to _me_ , isn't it? I'm honestly really flattered you'd think of me that way, Midoriya-kun, but I'll have to think about it before we go on any dates. You'll have your answer after this is over."

 _W-What?!?_

 **MASCE:** **Due to past interactions, subject Itsuka Kendo has determined your social ineptitude towards socio-romantic interactions, and has used this weakness to derail your arguement. Reccomended course of action: Refocus on main subject.**

 _That's...that's such a dirty trick, Kendo!_

"K-Kendo-san I-"

"You cloud his thoughts in darkness. A fair ploy, but he is not alone."

"Yeah! He isn't into _you_ or Yanagi! Izuku's here so we can get our last team member, so don't get any wrong ideas..."

Mina then did something...weird. It wasn't like he didn't enjoy it, or that he would stop her if she did it again, but at that present moment in time, it made him feel like he was standing on the edge of...something. She tightly gripped his right hand, holding it up so their interlocked fingers were visible to Kendo, as well as anyone else who happened to glance in their direction.

"...about _my boyfriend_ , got it?"

Eyes widened and mouth agape, Kendo stepped out of Izuku's space, immediately regretting her backfired plan of defence. "I...apologize Ashido-san, I was not aware that you two were a couple!"

"It's _fine_. Can we talk to Yanagi now?"

She nodded, begrudgingly accepting defeat and stepping aside, to reveal a still monotone Reiko Yanagi. With an icy voice she spoke, musing to herself as she did.

"You request my services?"

 **Reiko Yanagi: Self-controlled, brave, good-natured. Prone to bouts of verbosity, otherwise a silent student. Dislikes traits of arrogance and aggression, evidenced by willingly entering combat with Katsuki Bakugou, AKA "Kacchan".** **Other relevant information undetermined due to lack of relevant memory.**

 _Kacchan? Of course..._

"Yes, I do. My team can guarantee you a win, with or without the **10 Million** prize. Not only that, but I have a feeling you want to fight my friend, Bakugou. With my team you'll be able to do that, and when he and I both make it to the next phase, you may be able to fight him again. I know what I'm asking you to do might be a tough choice, so if the answer is no, we won't bother you anymore."

The members of team Midoryia stood in silence as Yanagi made her decision. While she thought, Izuku couldn't help but stare into her eyes. Steady, focused, even when they were focusing on nothing, as though she could visualize her own thoughts. There was no anger in them, but he felt that even if there were, he wouldn't be able to tell...masked under her eyes, which only impersonated the windows to the soul. It reminded him of Shinso.

"I agree. Farewell Kendo."

"Later Yanagi. Be careful, okay?"

"I will."

With that, Kendo and the remains of her team left, leaving Izuku with three and a half minutes to run through the plan.

 _...wait...I'm still holding.._

Izuku and Mina looked at each other, dark blushes overriding their higher thoughts. Their hands remained together.

"I must say, your strategy of feigned intimacy to intimidate Kendo was inspired, Ashido-san", Tokoyami complimented.

"O-Oh yeah...it looked like he was in trouble so I...yeah...", she trailed off.

"That was _really_ smart Mina, good job..."

For almost an entire four seconds, they both held on, waiting for the other to relax their grip first. With each passing second, emotional tension multiplied, as it became apparent that neither of them actually wanted to let go. Izuku released his grip first when the tension became too much for him, his steel nerves having liquidated.

"I presume you are the bearer of the plan, Midoriya-san?", Reiko Yanagi inquired.

" **Three minutes left everybody! Run your plans down, find a team, _any_ _team_ even! We are about to be-GIN!**", announced Present Mic.

"R-Right! I have the plan, so this is how it'll go..."

"Mina! You will be the rider, you'll use your free hands to attack and defend with your acid. I have three important words for you: Slippery, Pepper Spray, Lethal! Slippery means a low-viscosity, low concentration acid, paint the ground with it so other teams can't get near us. Pepper Spray is something a little harsher, aim for their faces so their vision is messed up. Lethal...that's for Todoroki's ice or anything that gets thrown at us, use the strongest acid you can to destroy it! Got it Mina?"

"Gotcha! That was four words though."

"Tokoyami! You will be the right wing, and you will use Dark Shadow to be our main line of defense. I think he has the range to completely encircle us, right?"

"Correct."

"Good, when we approach our targets, focus on defending Yanagi, but otherwise, ensure Mina's safety."

"Understood."

"Yanagi! You will be our left wing, and you will use your telekinetic ability to retrieve headbands once we get you in range. Once you have them, float them to Mina, she will tie them around her head. Just having you on our team is a deterrent that prevents others from getting too close, but eventually they'll wise up and secure their headbands somehow. Even though Tokoyami is on defense, knocking out any projectiles that come near your side will make things easier."

"I am in full coordination with the team."

"Good! I'll be the lead horse, deciding targets, choosing when to attack and defend. If I'm being completely honest, there's not much I can do besides take the brunt of Mina's weight off you guys, so I'm counting on you all!"

"I am aware."

"Our commander without a weapon..."

"My _weight_ , Izuku? When was the last time _you_ stepped on a scale?"

"O-Oh, no no I didn't m-"

" _Pffft!_ You make it too easy, Izu. Let's win this!"

"Right!"

Izuku and his team looked around, finding that they still had over two minutes left until the event started.

"Well, now what?"

"Now...we wait."

"Oh."

It was mostly silent between them, or as silent as it could get amidst a crowd of thousands. Every second felt like days, and by the time any meaningful conversation took off, it felt like an entire _month_ had passed.

"Hey, Yanagi-san? What's your quirk actually called? Telekinesis?"

 _"Poltergeist."_

"Oh, like the ghost!"

"I bet you like horror movies huh? I have a really goo-"

"TIMES UP, EVERYBODY! _M_ _ount_ up!" Midnight announced.

" **Hahahaha! Hope you've got it together kids, because you're in for a bumpy ride! 12 teams I see, and only 4 shall progress to the next stage! What do you think of the teams onstage, Quirk-Killer?** "

"I see some very peculiar teams. I am eager to see them in action."

" **He almost sounds like a real person, hah!** "

There Mina stood, held secure by an augmented human, a crow guy, and a zombie girl with ghost powers. She never thought she'd be in this situation, but here she was! Her very own _chariot of edge and darkness!_ She'd laugh if her career didn't depend on them winning.

She laughed anyways.

"Tokoyami, Mina, Yanagi, let's do this!", said Izu, using that rare overabundance of confidence he only got during a fight.

 _So weird how he is more comfortable in a battle than he is just talking to people,_ she mused.

" **Alright ladies and gentlemen, it's time to get this show on the road! Raise your battle cries and war faces, it's time for Yuuei's bloody battle! LIGHT THE SIGNAL FIRE** **AND PASS OUT THE HEADBANDS!** "

The members of team Midoryia felt invigorated, their anticipation palpable. Then, with a great **BOOM** of sound that startled every student on the field, the team's corresponding headbands appeared infront of their riders, each floating in the air before them. Only Izuku would have any idea of _how_ that had happened, as he looked up to the Pro Heroes' stands, observing an empty seat, and a missing number one hero.

 _That's...that's legitmately **terrifying**_.

With a newfound fear in his heart for the supreme hero, Izuku Midoriya prepared himself. Looking across the field, he took in as many team compositions as he could.

 _Kaminari is on Todoroki's team? Interesting. Kacchan...Hatsume and Ochako? He is definently up to something. Shoji is hiding his teammates under his limbs, but I'm very sure Tsuyu made it. Ojiro and Aoyama went with Shinso? I guess you have to take what you can get._

Present Mic and the audience, started counting down, and Izuku made his final preparations.

 **3!**

 **2!**

 **1!**

Immediately, all the teams blasted off accepting no less than the **10 Million** prize. Part of him wasn't too surprised, the allure of first place tore at his heart as well, but he already knew first place was a fickle dream, and with three other people counting on him...

 _I can't go for the grand prize yet, I need to secure our place in the finals! Besides, if someone can take it off Kacchan, it'll be an even easier job to take it from the theives rather than Kacchan's team_.

"Midoriya?", questioned Tokoyami, who was rather confused they were not moving yet.

Izuku calculated the teams point values, using the earlier point value screen as a reference.

 **Team Midoriya: 590**

 **-User**

 **-Mina**

 **-Yanagi**

 **-Tokoyami**

 **Team Bakugou: 10,000,315**

 **-Bakugou**

 **-Kirishima**

 **-Uraraka**

 **-Hatsume**

 **Team Todoroki: 610**

 **-Todoroki**

 **-Yaororozu**

 **-Kaminari**

 **-Iida**

 **Team Shoji:**

 **-Shoji**

 **Team Hagakure: 390**

 **-Hagakure**

 **-Sato**

 **-Jiro**

 **-Koda**

 **Team Monoma: 305**

 **-Monoma**

 **-Tsuburaba**

 **-Kaibara**

 **-Kuoiro**

 **Team Honenuki: 705**

 **-Honenuki**

 **-Tetsutetsu**

 **-Shiozaki**

 **-Awase**

 **Team Shinso: 295**

 **-Shinso**

 **-Ojiro**

 **-Aoyama**

 **-Shoda**

 _Not all the teams, but the ones worth going after._ _I should go for these while everyone else is distracted with engaging Kacchan_. _Let's see..._

"We're going for Hagakure, she's the floating headband Yanagi! Mina, Tokoyami, keep a low profile, we can retrieve the headband before they notice us."

"Sneaky!"

Izuku propelled foward, matching his pace with his team, towards the admittedly clever, but overall weak team composition.

 _Sato and Koda are both physically strong, so they make good horses. Jiro is good for both mid range defense and offense, and Hagakure's...tactical desicion to remove her top means that she has less of a profile, and the movement of the headband is erratic and hard to predict. Unfortunately, Koda's quirk doesn't work here, so they are limited by putting all of the responsibility on Jiro._

Catching up to the other team, Yanagi focused intently on the headband around the invisible girl, embracing the _itch_ she felt in her mind whenever she used her quirk. Closer and closer they approached, until the sweet sound of velcro unbinding hit her ears. She levitated the headband to Ashido. Unfortunately, Jiro took notice of them.

"Screw off, Midoryia!", she spat, directing her ear jacks towards them.

"H-Huh? Why _me_?", he asked as Dark Shadow blocked the attack.

"You might have Ashido under your thumb, but I know what kind of guy you are!"

 _"Wh-"_

"HAHAHAHA, THAT'S FOR LAST TIME AT MY HOUSE, TORU!", shouted out Mina, as she grabbed the headband and secured it around her head.

"UGH! HE'S HOT, OKAY? DOES IT REALLY MATTER THAT H-"

 _"YES, IT DOES. GROSS."_

 _What are they even talking ab- no. It doesn't matter. FOCUS._

"Nice job everyone! Now lets g-"

"AS IF I'D LET YOU SCUM TOUCH MY VICTORY!", rang out an iconic voice, loud enough to overpower the noise of the other teams.

Izuku turned and gazed apon something...peculiar. Kacchan was _flying_. He wasn't using his explosions to propel himself, he was literally _flying through the air_ , propelled by some invisible force. The realization struck him shortly after.

"Hey! Is that even allowed?!?", said a class 1-B student.

"Yes, so long as his team can catch him within ten seconds!", proclaimed Midnight.

 _Uraraka's Zero Gravity! Without the influence of gravity, he just has to use a single explosion to launch himself and he can change directions in any way he wants too!_

The other teams looked up in wonder at Kacchan's taunting display, as his team uncorned themselves and met him at the other end of the field. Many chased again, but some stayed, staring at Mina's _two_ headbands hungrily.

"Ahahaha Midoriya, it seems Class 1-A truly has no sense of honor!"

 _Oh god..._

Recognizing the prudish voice full of misplaced pity, Izuku and his team glared at none other than Monoma and his team.

"Profiting while others chase a temporary lead, I had the exact same idea! You want to know what's crazy though? I was going after the _exact same target_ as you, it's almost as if your class would _willingly_ prey amongst themselves to starve their sister class! I honestly find that despicable."

Mina spoke for him, surprisingly conveying his intentions well.

"That literally makes _no sense_. I think you should mind your business before we get a bigger appetite! C'mon Izu, tell me he's the next target!"

Monoma threw him a shit-eating grin, and for good reason too. Both boys knew Izuku did not know his quirk, and was far less familiar with Class 1-B than his own. As such, it would place him at a disadvantage to persue the bait, no matter how much it tempted him.

"Oh I don't think your boyfriend would do that, especially when he doesn't know what I can do! All your life you've had the upper hand, but now you don't! Just like USJ, huh? How terrifying that must be for someone who's never lost a fight before, to suddenly be in so much _pain_. He wouldn't dare risk feeling like that again. Tell me, Midoriya, _how's the arm feeling?_ "

"FUCK YOU!", screamed Mina, rage overflowing and taking acidic form. A brown haired member of Monoma's team blew out and solidified the air, blocking the attack. The acid sizzled and spat as it gnawed at the ground.

"Mina calm down!"

"WHY!?! How can you let him say that shit?"

" _It doesn't matter what he says._ Focus Mina! We're going for the prize next!"

"Fine!"

 _Monoma is...not a nice character, but he just wants to prove 1-B is superior over our class, and he considers me the greatest threat to that. I have to keep it together, whether it's Shinso, Todoroki, or Monoma trying to get in my head. I hope Mina didn't exhaust herself_ _, we're not even close to done._

Running towards Kacchan, Izuku took notice of a peculiar lack of...something on him. Mei Hatsume was on his team. Mei Hatsume used items in the Obstacle Course. So, theoretically, if Kacchan accepted her to be on his team, he would have done do so in order to use some of Mei Hatsume's items. Yet as he led his team further and further to the grand prize, he failed to notice any sign of her influence.

W _hy can't I see anything on him?_ _It must be concealable._

"Stay out of my way, Midoriya", came a dreaded voice from somewhere left of his position.

"EVERYONE SLOW DOWN!", he shouted, knowing what would happen next.

From his left, a massive ice wall rose from the ground, barricading himself from the prize as well as nearly causing his entire team to crash into it.

 _If I had slammed into that and fallen, he might've been disqualified!_

"Mina, lethal!"

"No duh!"

Mina leaned over him, conscious about where her acid may spill, and launched a glob of heavily concentrated liquid death, instantly cracking the wall on contact. Soon after, the ice crumbled under its own weight.

Catching up, Izuku had cornered Bakugou's team. Fortunately, everyone else had temporarily given up on the grand prize, choosing the plunder others or defend themselves instead. Unfortunately, Todoroki had also cornered Bakugou, creating a three way standoff. Their prize glared at the two opponents, waiting, _daring_ them to make the first move.

"Tokoyami, can Dark Shadow defend against electricity?", Izuku asked, eyeing Kaminari nervously.

"He does not fare well. I suspect two high energy attacks are all that's required for Dark Shadow to recede. From what I've seen from our training in Gym A, Kaminari can only output one burst before incapacitating himself. What I truly dread is Bakugou...his explosions, while not as powerful as Kaminari's burst, can be sustained, and will overpower Dark Shadow."

 _I have to be very careful here. Yanagi won't be able to block explosions or electric attacks. Yaororozu could probably create insulation to protect Todoroki, which can't be melted without seriously injuring their team. Kacchan...I just don't know, but he's hiding SOMETHING up his sleeve, I know it!_

He eyed him closely.

 _You always did have the best poker face when you wanted it._

"C'mon Izu, what's your game?"

Then, he noticed _it_. Something in Kacchan's ear, as well as Kirishima's and Uraraka's. He could not see Hatsume, but if he could, he's sure she'd be smiling madly. The corner of Kacchan's lips turned upwards, as he suddenly raised both his hands, one towards Todoroki, one towards him. The very last detail he picked up on before speaking, was a near perfect transparent shimmer in front of Kirishima's eyes.

"CLOSE YOUR EYES EVERYONE, DARK SHADOW H-"

A brutal ringing assulted his ears, and for a moment he heard so much noise it felt like it had become the new silence. Far more prepared this time than he was last, Izuku opened his eyes just in time to spot Kacchan fly over to his position, and directly past Mina.

"Damn!"

"SHOULD'VE STUCK WITH THE SMALL FRY, DEKU!"

Bakugou's gang ran past his own, completely unaffected by the effects of their leader's stun attack. Todoroki was less prepared, him and his entire team completely blinded. He recognized an opportunity, one that he likely wouldn't get again. He turned his head to the left as far as he could, barely spotting Yanagi in his peripheral vision. She was holding her ear, but her _eyes were fine_. She looked back at him, confused but willing. He motioned his eyes at Todoroki's headband, to which she nodded.

 _I hope Tokoyami catches on._

Reluctantly moving foward, the horses trusted their leader and pressed on at a steady pace, while Todoroki's remained stagnant. Soon they picked up speed, and by the time they got out of their range, Izuku's hearing had repaired just enough to catch the sweet sound of a headband being fastened.

"Mina, how many do we got?"

"Uhhh...one, the one from IceBrain."

Mina then took a deep breath. " _KACCHAN_ took both of the old ones!"

"DON'T FUCKING CALL ME THAT!"

 _Both? At that speed? He must've propelled himself perfectly to not redirect his course mid-flight. Left both his hands free..._

" **HOHOHOOOO! A flashy riposte from Katsuki Bakugou, and here I was wondering if this was the end for him, but he's on a roll folks! The King remains supreme! Ah, seems team Ashido knows how to take advantage as well, leaving Todoroki in the dust!** "

"Tokoyami, how is Dark Shadow?"

"Disoriented and nervous, but unharmed. What shall we do if he uses that ability again?"

"He won't get a chance."

 _"Midoriya."_

From behind, another wall of ice sped across the field, but this one was not on a collision course. Instead, it walled them off from the rest of the field, leaving team Midoryia between the wall of the stadium and the wall of cold. The wall rounded off infront of them, leaving Izuku with only one exit, _towards Todoroki_. His team turned to face their enemies.

"Mina, lethal. Tokoyami, they're going to corner us then use Kaminari's indiscriminate shock. The aim is to escape, but be ready for it. Yanagi, that girl's name is Yaororozu, and her quirk let's her create _anything_ , so be prepared for projectiles."

Mina went to work on the wall, but unfortunately, it was far thicker than his usual ice. At the same time, Yaororozu conjured a net as well as a spear from her torso with a suspicious liquid on it's tip.

 _A poisoned spear_ _, Yaororozu?_ _You better know how to use that or someone's going to the hospital._

Unless, of course, she had no intention to use it on his teammates.

 _Comforting._ _It's fine, my Internal Systems filter out and neutralize poison very well._

Shuddering, a wary Izuku kept his eyes on Todoroki's approaching team. While they could just sic Dark Shadow on them, he knew that without any headbands to be collected, there was ZERO reason to be on the offensive. Besides, Kacchan had an overwhelming lead, even without the **10 Million**. Now that he thought about, it would be in Todoroki's best interest as well to chase after him. Yet there he was, getting closer to a flimsy prize of his past 610 points.

 **MASCE: Personal grudge detected.**

 _Tell me something I dont know._ _..I'll have to buy Mina some time then._

"Oh Todoroki, you're approaching me? Even when Bakugou has _three_ headbands, you're approaching me?"

"I can have grasp victory AND secure your downfall at the same time, Midoriya. _I can't do that without getting closer_."

"Are you even listening to yourself?", he asked.

"The height of irrationality", Tokoyami commented.

Yaororozu remained silent, conflicted, but silent, gripping her spear tighter. Iida looked downright disgusted, but also made no comment. Kaminari seemed uncomfortable, as though he just walked in on something personal.

 _They're weirded out...that could be an advantage?_

 **MASCE: Social disorientation opportunity detected.**

 _Huh? How would I...oh my god. Okay.._

Steeling his nerves in preparation for the shameful tactic he was about to use, Izuku kept in mind the one phrase that stopped him from any possible reluctance, because he _really_ needed to sell this.

 _It's just acting._

As he did so, he activated his pheramone emitter, releasing a chemical compound into the surrounding area, which - thanks to the wall of ice they've been cornered in - consisted only of their two teams. This pheramone was different from the ones he had used before. Unlike _The Calm_ and _The Fear_ , this one actively increased the energy of those it affected. This pheramone, _The_ _Storm_ , increased energy levels and directly tapped into the _Fight_ aspect of _Fight or Flight_. This resulted in symptoms of aggression, anger, hyper-activity, and quick, thoughtless action. Just what he needed.

"Todoroki...I know things haven't exactly been well between us, but I think I can give you another chance. If you join me and we can work together when we go after Bakugou, I'll forgive you for _everything_."

He emphasized the last phrase, with a peculiar tone that suggested something more than what most observed, and everyone noticed. Kaminari voiced his suspicion.

"Um...Todoroki, dude, what does he mean by that?"

Izuku smiled, putting on his false front.

"Isn't it obvious, Kaminari? Todoroki and I were _lovers_ , at least until he decided he was more into _voluptuous_ , _book-smart girls_ than he was into me! I guess him being _thrown_ _around_ by me during our first training exercise brought up some old memories! Hey _Yao-momo_ , did you know that his face isn't the _only body part_ of his with burn scars?"

Around him, everyone had varying reactions to his "confession". Kaminari looked between Todoroki and Yaororozu, clearly _shocked_ at the development. Yaororozu's adorned herself with a heavy blush, stammering to defend her dignity. Todoroki looked _furious_ , but did not respond to his baseless accusation, for why would he? If only he knew about his rarely used ability. Tokoyami and Yanagi only offered a _hm?_ at the news, while Mina stuttered and either drooled or bled on his hair a little bit, from her nose presumably.

 _Did...did Mina j-NO. Dont think about it. Focus._ _They'll figure it out by the time we have to fight someone else, but it's an escape, at least._

Iida, his zealous, uptight, by-the-book secret weapon, fell directly into his plan. His face was red, twisted and contorted into an expression of rage, and it looked as if a vein was about to pop out of his forehead. Izuku shivered at his raw intensity, which very few could match.

"TODOROKI-SAN! I expected you to treat the sports festival with more respect than this! Using this opportunity intended for our _futures_ in favor of personal vengeance is one of the lowest pursuits I have ever known take place!"

"Yeah dude, what the hell? We _should_ be going for Bakugou..."

"Todoroki-san...are those truly your intentions? We barely _know_ each other, and you left your partner t-"

Suddenly, it clicked. As everyone else denied, shouted, and accused, her rational mind had regained control. She looked at Todoroki, and found no conflict, no pain, just anger. She observed the consequence of Midoryia's words, and took the words themselves into account. It would be easy to create an imaginary past to incriminate Todoroki, his earlier outburst already shattered any trust they had in his personal attitude. By involving her, she was temporarily incapacitated with being flattered, admittedly, and confirming a nonexistent attraction. By sharing... _details_ about Todoroki's body, they were all mutually uncomfortable with interacting with him further. It was all a deception, underhanded and shameless. The end result? Their team in chaos and a massive hole in the wall of ice. She would never have expected something so... _villainous_ from him, but she could not deny it's effectiveness.

 _Izuku...such a dirty trick!_ _I can see your bold approach reminiscent of Bakugou's ruthlessness, but not such perverted behavior._

She examined the wall closer, seeing Ashido's remaining acid melt through the ice like boiling water a popsicle.

 _You learn from everybody you can, don't you? In that case...I must do the same!_

"Everybody, s-shut up!", she yelled, startling the group with previously unseen aggression.

"Y-Yaororozu?"

"Woah...she _mad_."

"What?"

"Midoriya has fooled all of us. Somehow, he influenced our emotions and had us believe a lie. He made us fight against each other, nothing he said was true...except for one thing, Todoroki."

The heterochromic boy pierced daggers into her, but despite his glare, he made no protest against her proclamation.

"We _should_ be chasing Bakugou, not Midoriya."

After barely hearing those words, Izuku had put enough distance between their teams for his enhanced hearing to no longer function at that range. He smiled, thankful that he had another chance at his old rival. He observed the battlefield, left in a state of sheer chaos from the student's pillaging. Most teams had lost their headbands, so he recounted from what he could see, and estimates.

 **Team Bakugou - 10,001,295**

 **Team Honenuki - 1,140**

 **Team Shinso -** **1,035**

 **Team Midoriya - 610**

 **Team Monoma - 305**

 _Shinso? When did you get all those headbands? He must have plundered the smaller teams in class 1-B..._

"IZU, YOU AND TOTO HAD A _THING_ WHAT THE _FUCK_ HOW LONG? WHY DIDN'T YOU TELL ME?", Mina yelled directly into his ear, pulling him out of his thoughts.

"Ah, sorry!", he replied, deactivating his pheramone emitter as he did.

All of a sudden, their team felt a lot less stressed, and a lot more curious.

"Ohhhhh...so _that's_ what it feels like...ugh no wonder you get along with blonde chihuahua, you can can make him feel however you want!"

 _B-Blonde Chihuahua?!?_

"Y-Yeah, that's how it works. Incase you guys haven't figured it out, nothing I said was true. Me and... _him_ never had any kind of...thing", he awkwardly replied.

"You've sown chaos in their ranks..."

"It was an exceptionally thorough process of attack", Yanagi commented.

"That's actually _really cool_ but...can I get a heads up next time, Izu? I don't like having my head messed with."

He could not see her, but he had never heard such a conflicted tone from her before, despite the danger they'd been in. In that moment, her displeasure was his as well.

 _I guess I wouldn't know what it feels like. I'm hardly affected by the pheromones, but now that I think about it, it really is a form of emotional slavery over everything else. Not a lot of people can handle extreme anger, and Mina is a little impulsive, as well as being a romantic. Plus, they were the ones closest to me, they got hit harder than Todoroki's team did...thankfully Tokoyami and Yanagi had no real reason to care. I'll have to be careful about what I'm using around my friends._

"Of course, Mina."

Once more he observed the battlefield, and noticed Kacchan's team getting cornered, him using his stun grenade ability, and then escaping. There was virtually zero counter, and it deterred teams from getting too close to him every time he used it. He needed an easier target, something that would guarantee his extension even if he couldn't get the grand prize. He eyed Shinso's team warily.

 _I have no defense against Honenuki's quirk, not with a person on my back. If I jump I'm going to split my team up, and Mina won't be able to handle the impact, even if I absorb most of it. I need to avoid him. Monoma too, I don't know his quirk or the quirks of those on his team, and even though he has it out for me in particular, he knows about me well enough to keep his distance. It's better if we avoid each other...so that just leaves Shinso_ _, who is an admittedly easy target._

"Everyone, we're getting a headband from that purple haired guy. His quirk lets him brainwash anyone who responds to his words, so don't say anything, not even on accident."

He felt a weight shifting, on his hands and on his shoulders. Already he knew she was uncertain, and admittedly, she had a good reason to be.

"Are you sure that's a good idea, Izu? We can try that Monoma guy again...you don't _have to_ go after him."

"His team isn't very strong. His quirk is their main strength and once you know what it is, he has almost nothing else. He...he's just an easy target, nothing more."

"He has multiple headbands, am I to take them all, Midoryia?", Yanagi asked.

He thought for only a moment.

"No, just take one of them, Yanagi. If he gets desperate he'll go after Kacchan, and Todoroki will already give us enough tr- MINA GET DOWN!"

Mina shrieked and followed the warning, lunging fowards and wrapping her arms around him, bringing her head low and over his shoulder. Above them, Kacchan zoomed past her previous position, reaching his arm out and nearly grasping the headband, were it not for Dark Shadow using himself as a blanket over her. As the bomber soared through the air like an all-powerful eagle, team Midoryia heard a strange, terrifying sound from him.

 _Is he **laughing**?_

"YOU WANT THIS? COME _FUCKING_ GET IT! H-", More, more of the strange, alien sound filled the stadium.

" **Uhh...I'm not really sure what part of that I should censor folks** **. He sure looks to be enjoying himself though! In other news, Shinso's team has caught up to 3rd, while team Honenuki continues to hold 2nd place! Can anyone else hope to reach such valorous heights? Remember, only the top 4 teams will move on to the next event.** "

Bakugou continued his rampage, attacking indiscriminately, sometimes going for a headband and failing, or just going low to feign an attack before using an explosion to rise again, terrifying the teams in the process. He made sure to return to his team before the time limit disqualified him. Despite his low success rate, one thing was clear, he was threatening everyone and he was enjoying it.

 _Is this his idea of deterrence? Scaring off the smaller teams to put more pressure on us? I can't tell if he's being smart or if he's just having fun._ _Ochako could've been a good pick if I wanted to be the rider, now that I think about it..._

He forced his eyes off Katsuki's spectacle, and aligned Shinso in them.

 _Focus! Ojiro and Aoyama are on his team, along with Shoda, but I don't know his quirk. Aoyama can't fire while moving, and Ojiro is only good for defense in this situation, as direct contact with his tail could knock us over. Shoda's quirk...I don't know, but those points are worth the risk_.

"Alright, we're going for Shinso. Remember, no words."

He received grunts and similar sounds in response. Good enough, right? Present Mic spoke over his thoughts, announcing the time remaining.

" **Six minutes left, kiddos! Normally I'd tell you to go for that last desperate charge for the 10 Million, but if I'm being real here, that ain't gonna work out! Just survive, my guys** **...and gals! I would never disregard the value of our fellow female students here at Yuuei, why, in my personal opinion, g-** "

"They understood you the first time, Mic."

" **Heyyyyyyy!** "

Izuku led his team towards their target, but while doing so, he noticed a light, strained breathing from Tokoyami and Yanagi. Despite his best efforts, they were starting to fatigue.

 _Just two more fights, three tops! This next one likely wont even be a fight, we'll just take it and go...ah crap is that..?_

"Well, if it isn't all the filth at once...", Monoma mused.

" _All_ the filth?", asked Shinso, mildly curious, until he took note of team Ashido having closed in on his position.

"Indeed, the pinnacle of class 1-A, Izuku Midoriya has graced us with his presence! Having trouble with keeping your headbands, machine man?"

He did not respond.

"Hm. Cat got your tongue? Ah well."

He looked directly at Shinso, the engine of his fanatical zealotry in full drive.

"You. I heard about your little stunt at 1-A's door. High aspirations, but do you _honestly_ believe the high and mighty class 1-A would take someone with a quirk like yours?"

"How would _you_ know what my quirk is?"

"I'm not _stupid_ , and neither is he. Midoriya, why don't you take a closer look at his team?"

While not keen to play into whatever scheme Monoma had, he knew something was amiss. Aoyama, Ojiro, Shoda, their faces were blank, completely uninterested in the world around them, and the way they carried Shinso...

 _He...he brainwashed his own teammates. What is WRONG WITH YOU, SHINSO?!?_

"I'm not quite sure how he did it, contact based perhaps? In any c-"

"You should leave, Monoma. You should leave... _right now_..", Izuku warned, tone tight with restraint.

"Ah...huh? What, don't tell me you're _sympathetic_ towar-"

 _"Mina, pepper spray."_

Monoma recoiled from the irritant globs of acid launched his way, taking both his efforts and his teammate's to defend against Mina. Using a quirk that turned the air solid, they repealed the attack, but Mina did not relent, forcing them to keep their air wall from breaking until Monoma ran out of breath and was forced to retreat, while his teammate continued their defense even as they ran away from Izuku's prey. It was at this time Shinso spoke directly to him, for the first time since their fallout.

"Izuku. Never imagined you to be the type to carry others. Grown a soft spot or something?"

 _I've always had "soft spots" Shinso..._

"I'm not sure why you're keeping quiet, you already know it doesn't work on you... _you're inhuman_ , remember? I'm surprised you're taking the precaution, you always looked down on me and my ability."

 _I never looked down on you..._ _not until now, you slavedriving poor excuse for a hero._

"Why are you looking at them like that, as if you'd actually _care_ about anyone other than yourself? I'm not a threat to your disgustingly overpowered quirk, so go after Bakugou or something."

 _I DO CARE ABOUT THEM, JUST LIKE I USED TO CARE ABOUT YOU!_

Izuku furrowed his brow, weighing risk and reward. A decision was made. From what he has seen, Hitoshi Shinso was not a person worthy or deserving to take the mantle of pro hero. He would lie, cheat, and steal control from anyone to further his own ends, no matter how noble those ends may be. He should not be in class 1-A, he should not be in the hero course, and he _should not be a hero._ He finally spoke, but not to Shinso.

" _All of them, Yanagi_."

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxX

 **Author's Notes:** _You've been in a coma, for quite some time. I'm afraid it's been...9 years_ \- Me, welcoming my motivation, creativity, and raw grit into my brain again.

Updated for formatting, and misspelling a certain Sparkle Boi's name, whoops!*

For whatever unholy reason, this is the most difficult chapter I've done. I thought out this damn story like 3 times before splicing together a version that I actually enjoyed, conveyed the themes of the story, and made actual sense. So often one has to consider what makes exact sense, and what's more enjoyable a read. Ugh. When reading other fanfics, I often find the Cavalry Battle suffering from a noticable drop in quality or just left out altogether, and I can honestly see why. This shouldn't be as difficult as it is, but somehow, it is. 5600 words before I even get to the ACTION. I'm technically not even done with it either...seriously, what the hell, right?

MASCE was something I had planned for a while, just didnt know how or when to implement it. I made it based on memory rather than computer assisted (Although, I suppose it technically IS computer assisted? What I'm saying is, Izuku's brain is not connected to the Internet) because if it was Internet assisted, he'd be more OP than he already is. I actually am somewhat concerned about copyright infringement, so I try to change some things from their original Deus Ex source. MASCE (pronounced Mask) doesn't sound as good as its source material but eh, when making the mother of all omelettes...

You know...sometimes we're not as strong as we think we are. Sometimes we think we have the moral willpower to do what's right, but our pain, fear, or otherwise unfortunately relevant emotion just takes the steering wheel from us when we most desperately need it. Imagine if the greatest source of your insecurities, anger, and general dislike towards humanity has a name. Imagine if you could just fight back, if your decisions had real impact, and you could just have them...gone. Very rarely is this the case. It is ourselves who we must fight.

Something I've noticed is that I've got something of a weakness when it comes to transitioning from one situation to the other. I'm quite reliant on dialogue between characters or internal thoughts to convey messages, or at least accompany them. Hell, even these author's notes further dig into the story rather than being random trivia or pure responses to reviewers. Might work on that...

Seeing happy/satisfied/content reviewers always makes me feel warm inside, glad my work is being appreciated! Apologies for the wait, this chapter was a pain to write, lots of fact checking, name checking, quirk checking, points, swapping of characters, personality considerations, and **raw laziness**. Hopefully it's smooth sailing from here on out. I planned to continue working on this, but I figured this is an okay cliffhanger. Also...when my chapters get too long I have a bit of lag g g g whenever I type.

Did somebody say...REVIEWS?

Michael68, Your question regarding the manner in which Izuku obtains one augmentation over the other is a good one, and you'll actually get something of a hint towards that in the 3rd phase of the sports festival.

See you soon! (Hopefully) **-Delusional777**


	17. Chemical Circulation

_"All of them, Yanagi."_ Shinso furrowed his brow and frowned, not having heard Izuku's judgement.

"What was that, Izuku? I couldn't quite hear you down th-"

Suddenly, his cruel tongue was struck back by furious retribution, retribution for grievances he would never accept as his own. Whatever was left of the cheerful, indecisive Izuku Midoriya he knew from their earlier age was gone, he saw only a stranger, with a desire to punish. His team tried to retreat, but aside from Ojiro, none of his horses were particularly fit, and the fashion in which they carried Shinso drained their energy. In conclusion, they were _easily_ overtaken by the motivated burst of team Midoriya. As he calculated his means of fighting back, he felt the headbands, once thought to be securely fastened, violently jerked off his head by some invisible force.

" **Woahhhh! Team Ashido on the offensive, with a super ruthless steal from Team Shinso! All their points, they took ALL THEIR POINTS!** **Team Ashido is now in 2nd place** **with a whopping 1645 points!** **They got a good lead, but are they craving first?** "

"No...NO! Ayuma, use your l-", attempted to command Shinso, before he was hit square in the face with a perfectly aimed blast of acid, interrupting his quirk usage.

"His name is _Aoyama_ _, dickhead_ ," his attacker muttered.

"Mina!"

"Sorry I couldn't help it! Like _jeez_ why does he have to talk to you like th-"

"Stop talking! 10 seconds!"

" _Ugh_. I hate that quirk!"

Team MiShido continued their escape, as there was no practical use sticking around an enemy you just defeated, doubly so in the cavalry battle. As soon as they were out of earshot, they stopped to discuss their next move, being careful to watch for any assailants, be it from land or sky.

"Midori, how am I supposed to carry all these headbands? My forehead isn't as crazy huge as that Shinso guy's! You could land a bomber on that thing!"

"Oh! Um...wrap the lower points values around your horns."

"My horns are _sacred_ , Izu! Pffft, jus' kidding."

"Midoriya...we are in second place by a fair margin, and will likely have a guaranteed extension to the next event should we focus on defense. Are you sure you want to risk our position in pursuit of grandeur?", asked Tokoyami.

"I..."

 _I don't know. When Kacchan took all our headbands, I wasn't concerned at all. Maybe that isn't a good thing? Maybe I shouldn't have assumed I'd figure a way out to get the points back somehow. Maybe I should worry about our place and stop being overconfident...then again_ _if Kacchan wins TWO events in a row, he'll never let me live it down_.. _. **Plus Ultra.**_

"We're going for it!"

"YES LET'S DO IT!"

"Very well!"

"I have but one question...", Yanagi started, "All of them, or just the one?"

"Ah..."

A pang of...something unpleasant had spread across his torso...an odd obscure feeling that made him feel doubt down to his very core, as well as some kind...wiggling, writhing thing in his chest. He hadn't recalled ever feeling like this before.

"...just the one, Yanagi."

"Understood."

He started moving again, noting Kacchan flying through the air on a return from another intimidation mission. He flew and carefully managed his explosions to slow his decent to his team, once again securely held and out of danger.

 _Now it's just Kacchan and his aircraft carrier. Somehow his team is not at all effected by his stun grenade move, I'm certain it has something to do with their earpieces and that weird shimmer infront of their eyes. A transparent visor, maybe? I won't be able to get rid of their earpieces, not unless Yanagi helps, and if Yanagi is in a position to help,_ _she should be focusing on Kacchan instead. He'll still be able to fly though.._

 **Combat Assessment: Updated to new objectives.**

 _Of course!_ _Internal Systems...dye my teeth and saliva, blood red._

"Hey Mina, I think they're wearing something transparent over their faces that lets them deal with Bakugou's flashbang move. If you can get some sticky acid on them, he won't be able to use it, and Bakugou won't have any defense besides flying!"

"Ahhh! Then we'll be able to take it when it flies back to them right?"

"Nope", he responded slyly, "I have a better idea..."

"Oh ho ho! _Do tell..._ "

"Secret!"

"Ohhhhh this _secret plan_ better work...", she grumbled, completely over his _secrets_ that he keeps to _himself_ for _whatever_ reason.

 _I need to be careful, Todoroki or Hatsume could completely derail the plan..._

"Tokoyami, be prepared for Kaminari's indiscriminate burst, don't worry about Bakugou unless you have to! Mina, you know what to do. Yanagi, Yaororozu might throw something or swing something at us, but otherwise, you'll know what to do when it happens, the headband is on the center is of his forehead! Also, nobody worry about Todoroki, I can deal with his ice on the way. "

 _At least, I think I can. The math is solid._ _It's a good thing I was able to catch a view of him during that fly by. Kacchan isn't the type to move his headbands mid fight, so it should be in the same place._

The engines of team Ashdoriya started once more, most eyes intent on their prize. Bakugou had once again departed from his team. He flew around, performing crude aerial maneuvers to evade any attacks sent his way, most of them not even neccessary, as it was far harder to hit a flying target than a grounded one. Izuku, however, had his eyes on one person only, and it wasn't Bakugou, but a member of his team. They were surrounded by a large ring of Todoroki's ice, towering, steep uprisings from the ground that prevented the aircraft carrier from escape, and soon the jet bomber would be forced to return. In time, his enemies became encompassed into his hearing range.

"...elling you, they're immune to my stuff!", Kaminari complained despondently.

"How could they be immune to electricity?", Todoroki inquired.

"It is that student in the support course, she must be using a device that insulates against electricity", noted Yaororozu.

 _Ah HAH! So she's completely on the defensive. To think Kacchan would form a team completely around his own strengths is...very believable, actually. I can't deny it's effectiveness._ _Hmm...if_ _they managed to insulate themselves, then Mei's earpiece is probably not an earpiece, but purely hearing protection instead!_ _So they'll have to tell Kacchan directly that the visors are gone._

"Todoroki, when Bakugou next lands, I may be able t-"

The conversation was abruptly cut off as Iida spotted Ashido, her horns adorned with plunder, yet still wanting more. Midoriya was next, his expression neutral, but he likely hid a devious smile, like the manipulative devil he was! Then Tokoyami, the stoic student of darkness, but surely pure at heart. At last, the sleep deprived, zombie-like girl who had defeaten Bakugou in one on one combat, a feat few could manage...and they were all coming _towards them_. He had to warn his team!

"Todoroki!"

"STAY OUT OF MY WAY!", fiercely growled Midoriya, uncharacteristic fury radiating from his golden eyes. Thankfully, his teammate wasted no time, placing another wall of ice between Midoryia and Bakugou's landing point.

Then, the frozen gate to hell was shattered.

Izuku was aware of his body in a way few others could be with their own. He knew the specific breaking point of each individual bone, as well as the mix of plastics and metals surrounding them. He knew how much force he could generate, how much push and pull he could output with just a finger. He knew that he was not a normal human being, not even his hair, which had very few practical uses, was fully natural. Everything about him, even the few non-augmented parts of his body that remained, were impacted by those that were. Yet, despite his differences with Man, one of the few remaining similarities between them is the fact that the skull is the toughest part of their bodies, particularly the cranium.

One of the _differences_ is that Izuku's skull is vastly more durable, and is supported by a neck that can accelerate multiple times faster than a natural one could.

" **Woahhhh! Did...did Midoriya just HEADBUTT his way through a wall of ice?!?** "

"That is quite obviously what he d-"

" **What are you feeding those kids,** **Aizawa** "

"The standard Yuuei school lunch consists of..."

Not even slowing pace after shattering a wall with his face, Midoriya and friends left a stunned Todoroki in their wake on their quest to first place, and they hardly left a trace!

Well, that's a lie. It would probably take some time for the shattered ice to melt.

Izuku made a beeline for Bakugou's team, and despite the fact the man of the hour wasn't here, he seemed to keep going, as if he was going to crash right into them. Kirishima faced him directly, a maniacal smile in place as if he was anticipating the impact. Still, Midoryia kept his eyes glued to his target, Kacchan's left wing.

 _Uraraka...I know from our time at Gym A that you can easily lift me with your Zero Gravity. However...you've ALREADY been lifting Kacchan and miscellaneous items on your team from Hatsume for nearly fifteen minutes, as well as however you used your quirk to bypass the Obstacle Course. The key to your ability isn't weight limit, but time limit! Let's see how long you can keep him afloat_ _while having to deal with MY weight!_

"Mina, sticky acid on Kirishima! Don't hit Uraraka!"

"Sucks to suck, Kiri!", she gleefully giggled, all the while forming sticky, low concentrated acid on her left hand, which she smacked onto Kirishima on their way by.

 _Now...for Uraraka._

"Mina."

"Hm?"

"I'm gonna use _it_ again."

"O-Oh...right!"

 _Woah! Midoryia is getting close...why is he getting closer? Bakugou's not gonna be back for another few seconds! Ugh...I need a break from my quirk..._

 _"Sucks to suck, Kiri!"? That is SUCH a Mina thing to say! OUCH! That slap looked painful! Wait...no! They figured it out! The visors won't work anymore if we can't see out of them! He can't get it off...we gotta tell Bakugou before he uses that stun move again!_

 _He's rounding back, for another slap right? Please not me, please not me...wait, Mina can't slap me from that angle, Midoryia is too far infront of her arms. He's getting closer...why isn't he changing his angle? W...Why is he looking at me like that? He looks like he's gonna KILL someone!_

 _Why isn't he turning? Why aren't WE moving! Just cause we're trapped in this ice bowl doesn't mean we shouldn't move! He's gonna crash into us!_

"K-Kirishima..."

"Relax Uraraka, once Baku-bro comes back he can BLAST the ice and get us out of here, he has too, but right now we can't do anything! They won't crash into you over or they'll get disqualified, just...just relax okay? Keep up your quirk!"

 _I don't believe you Kirshima_ _, he looks like he's gonna turn me into paste! H-_

Uraraka paled at the sight assailing her eyes at a speed far too quick for her to be comfortable with. Midoryia was running directly towards her, looking like a wild predator, mouth wide open and prepared rip the life from her body using only his teeth. His teeth...

 _HAS MIDORIYA BEEN FUCKING **EATING** PEOPLE!?!_

Heart palpitations accompanied the overwhelming fear assulting her mind, as her grip on Kirishima and Hatsume's hands loosened. Midoriya's blood stained mouth filled her thoughts with dark implications and grisly imaginings, as well as particular predictions of her own future. Terror like she felt during USJ did not creep, but broke it's way into her heart once more. Soon, however, her human instincts took over, keen on self preservation. She had the perfect quirk for melee fighters, which Midoriya's... _choice of weapon_ , very much was. Just as Bakugou was returning from a terror run, Uraraka uttered a shriek and stuck her hands out to block Midoriya's face, which he gladlyaccepted. Mina, who was grinning just as madly, rewarded her foolishness with sticky acid over her transparent visor.

 _Ohhhh...this feels...kind of okay, actually. As long as Mina is focusing her weight on me, I'll be weighed down enough to move_ _without the risk of flying off._

Izuku took a shaky step foward, subconsciously adjusting his steps to account for his lack of gravitational pull.

 _That being said...I shouldn't run as fast. Hopefully Uraraka reaches her limit and is forced to ground Kacchan._

As if on cue, retching sounds of shame emanated from Uraraka, who has pushed her quirk beyond its limit...yet she didn't deactivate it. Meanwhile, Kacchan was speeding back, using explosive force to cut down on time speant. He had no more time, she needed to deactivate her quirk _now_.

"Uraraka! If you pass out then you'll be disqualified fr-"

" _Shut up_ , Midoriya. I...I c-can h-hold...", she weakly stated, determination radiating from her core.

 **MASCE: "Resilient" trait added to subject Uraraka.**

 _She's a pretty laid back girl, almost like a non-flirty, toned down version of Ashido and Hagakure...I didn't realize she'd be so determined!_ _Sh-_

"THE HELL YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING, DEKU?!?"

A harsh, but _very_ familiar smack inturrupted his thoughts, as Bakugou had returned, and taken his place back as the rider of his team. Uraraka touched her fingertips together, deactivating her hold over the jet bomber, but from the strain of Midoriya as as well. Hatsume groaned, straining to hold some kind of weight up.

 _The electric insulator...it must be strapped to her_ _body, no way she can hold it in her hands._

"Bakugou, she trashed the visors!", Kirshima said.

"Hmpf...then you all better SHUT YOUR DAMN EYES!", he declared, raising his hands once more, until everyone's focus was interrupted by a crackling, sizzling sound. Soon after, Hatsume's cries shot through the air.

"M-My baby!", she shrieked, despair coupled with heartfelt concern.

Followed by Yaororozu, lacking her spear, creating a moderately large tarp. Izuku knew immediately what was going on.

"TOKOYAMI!"

"Indiscriminate shock, **1.3 Million** **Volts**!"

"GOD FU-"

Everything happened at once. Kirishima and Izuku used their quirks to protect themselves, hardened flesh and darkened material respectively. Mina threw a particularly dangerous looking glob of acid towards Kaminari, seeking to disrupt his attack before it could go off. Yaororozu, Todoroki, and Iida had covered themselves with the tarp, insulation from the attack. Bakugou, surprisingly, didn't do anything, except for close his eyes and grit his teeth, preparing for the inevitable.

Which came, despite Mina's attack. Thankfully, Tokoyami reacted in time, his Dark Shadow enveloping them and taking the brunt of Kaminari's electric explosion. Once again, the offensive of his opponents has left Midoriya in a state of advantage.

"YANAGI!"

Hoping she understood, Midoriya and his team moved foward, angling Yanagi towards Kacchan's front. Meanwhile, Todoroki's team had removed their insulation and rushed towards Bakugou as well. Both teams, eyes set on the grand prize, made their move. Todoroki reached out towards the forehead of a paralyzed Bakugou, fingers barely touching the surface of the **10 Million** headband, before it flew out of his fingertips.

"NO!"

"YES!"

" **Hohoho! Ashido has claimed the 10 Million prize! Bakugou has been dethroned, and stripped of nearly all his headbands by Todoroki!** **Keep an eye on that scoreboard, fans!** **We have three minutes left!** "

Following his advice, Izuku glanced at the screen on all sides of the stadium, showing the scores and places of each team.

 **Team Ashido -** **10,001,960** **Points**

 **Team Todoroki -** **980** **Points**

 **Team Tetsutetsu -** **1,140** **Points**

 **Team Bakugou -** **380** **Points**

 _Kacchan will absolutely get desperate in this final stretch, and Uraraka is his only option now, so Dark Shadow and Mina are going to have to keep him at bay. Todoroki as well, he will not be content with third._ _I can headbash the ice if I need too, but Yaororozu might've figured out Dark Shadow's weakness by now, and Iida might rush us before Mina can fully coat the ground in slippery acid_ _, but we should still be able to get there at least._

"So many HEADBANDS!"

 _That's also a problem, it'll be hard to keep them secure if they can't even hold onto her. At this point we're wrapping headbands around headbands. It's a good thing we already have a defense plan in place._

"Mina, when we reach the wall make the ground slippery! Three minutes left, we can hold it until then! You and Tokoyami need to watch out for Bakugou, don't let him get too close from the air. Yanagi, keep us safe from anything they might throw at us! Let's win this battle!"

"I'm starting to run outta juice here Izu, but I can hold!"

"I will ensure Bakugou does not reclaim his prize."

"Victory has become imminent, I will assist in protecting it."

 _Good!_

With a plan in mind, Ashido's noble steeds began the transport to the normally undesirable area of the field, the perimeter, where one could easily be trapped against the wall. The newly crowned defenders, however, seeked to bunker down instead. Suddenly, Izuku caught a massive spike of sound from behind him.

 _It almost sounds like an engine..._ _IIDA!_

"TOKOY-"

Yet, before he could even finish uttering the name of their protector, Todoroki's team was infront of them, with three headbands in their rider's grasp. Iida's leg engines emmited a foul black smoke, and he looked as if he was struggling to stand.

" **WOAHHH DID YOU GUYS SEE THAT?** **That kinda speed is insane! Did they get the grand prize though?** "

 _That's...that's impossible...he was almost as fast as **All Might!**_ _To hide an ability like that...first Kendo, then Uraraka, and now Iida surprising me...I really don't know these people very well, do I?_

 **MASCE: Social profiles updated.**

 _Yeah, I bet._

"Mina, it _is_ still there?"

"Y-Yeah, I got it still, holy _crap_ that was fast!"

"Midoriya...I apologize..."

"No, no, there's no way you could have reacted to that in time, don't worry Tokoyami."

As he finished speaking, powerful walls of ice surrounded Todoroki's team, sealing them off from the outside. It would appear that Izuku's plan to bunker down was stolen from him.

 _Damnit, that leaves me with..._

"Izu, he's flying again!"

 _...yeah_ _...Uraraka is tougher than I expected, for Kacchan to be flying that soon again._

"Mina, use the slippery! Once you're done, keep your head down and only look to fire at him when you hear him pass you!"

"I didn't wanna look at him anyways!"

" **Oh, what's this? Looks like Team Tetsutetsu is under serious fire from the rest!** **Can't say I blame the others for not wanting to get near the trio of terror** "

 _I_ _f everyone is attacking them it must mean there's barely any points to go around, it won't be long before their desperation urges them onto us!_

In and for the next three minutes, team Ashido relocated to a circle with a diameter of 10 feet. The surrounding area outside of the circle was slick with slippery acids, graciously provided by the namesake herself. Any curious team that got near the acid on foot quickly dispersed, for when Mina wasn't shooting at Bakugou or taking cover under Dark Shadow, she was taking potshots at them, cheering whenever she hit. Bakugou's approach was predictable and cautious, he avoided diving in on Yanagi's side and occasionally blasted in front of him so Dark Shadow could not be on the offensive. In the last stretch, however, he had gotten desperate.

"SCREW IT, I GOT NO DAMN CHOICE DEKU!", he yelled as he dived for their team, extending both of his palms in their direction and clamping his eyes shut.

 _While flying, diving, no less?!? No, he's gonna crash right into us! It won't matter how hard his eyes are shut, he won't be able to coordinate at that level!_

"MINA DON'T L-", he attempted, but it was too late. The signature sound of his stun grenade reverberated through the stadium, as well as temporarily painting the healthy grass with an oppressively white light, as if it was a canvas. The pressure he felt above him indicted that he was successful in his fly by, but aside from that, it would be another few seconds before his vision cleared.

Once he gained bearing of his senses, he looked towards Kacchan's team, observing a scowling rival on his aircraft carrier. Then he looked up at the scoreboard, noting his team was still in first!

 _He didn't get it._ _HE DIDN'T GET IT!_

"GUYS, HE DIDN'T G-"

" **Ladies and gentlemen, our time is up!** "

The crowd exploded into cheers as Present Mic continued with his proclamation.

" **That's the end of the Cavalry Battle! Let's take a look at the top four teams!** **In first, place, team Ashido!** "

While Reiko Yanagi and Tokoyami had stopped holding Mina, choosing to return to their signature zombie and stoic poses instead, Mina remained backpacked on Izuku, holding on as tightly as she could. He caught on quickly and held her legs stable, madly grinning at the hard fought victory while Ashido hollered and cheered.

" **In second place, team Todoroki!** "

 _Todoroki is second? Bakugou must not have picked up a high enough point value._

He turned towards Bakugou, observing Mei Hatsume sprinting across the field to pick up her discarded, mostly destroyed gadgets. Bakugou and Uraraka were both looking at him, the latter giving him a strained. conflicted smile.

 _I guess I can't blame her, those fear pheromones aren't easy on the psyche. She must be happy for some reason though...maybe she thought she wouldn't be moving on._ _Kacchan..._

He just looked at him, a displeased, but overall neutral expression shaping his face. It looked downright cursed.

 _He's taking this way better than I thought he would._

" **...and in 4th place, team Monoma!** "

 _Monoma?_ _How_

He looked up at the scoreboard, and noted peculiar changes. Team Tetsutetsu was significantly lowered, stripped of nearly all their points, while team Shinso had barely more than them. Team Monoma had significantly more points than both.

 _I didn't think Monoma would steal from his own team, would he?_ _He values 1-B over everyone else, and would exclusively target 1-A instead. He...he stole them from Shinso. He stole them from Shinso AFTER Shinso stole them from Tetsutetsu._

A strange, horrible wiggling sensation coursed through Midoriya's chest once more.

 _Shinso had no points. He was desperate for a chance._

His body felt weak, weighed down by a pressure no amount of physical strength could overcome.

 _So he took everything he could from opponents that with high point values. He wouldn't go after the top three because two of the three teams already knew his quirk..._

For a brief moment, he wanted to be somewhere, anywhere else.

 _Honenuki was on Tetsutetsu's team...he saved my skin...and now he can't move on because I made Shinso desperate._

Izuku was tired.

"H-Hey uh, Mina?"

"Sup Midori?"

"Could you please get off?"

"Oh...uh, sure."

" **Now we will take an hour's break for lunch before we start the afternoon activities!** "

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxX

 **Author's Notes:** If I have to fucking write "Midoriya's team moved from this spot, to that spot" one more time, in any setting, I'm going on a one year hiatus. Thank god this is over. I tried to put variety in here but I'm not running at full capacity. Blah. Anyways, up next is possible lunch, some one v ones, and Izuku dealing with the consequences of his actions.

My dearest readers, I have a question. Do you receive a notification when I update a chapter that has already been released? Sometimes I notice embarrassing spelling errors or accidental formatting screwups, but I'm worried about updating them on days where I'm not releasing new chapters, since it may come as a disappointment. So can I subtly update chapters? If so, you can call me Big Brother cause I'm about to Party like it's 1984 up in this b-

So...there was a slight time discrepancy in this chapter, as some of you may have noticed. I ask you to don your "anime logic" goggles and give me mercy. If anything, it's just another jojo reference in regards to Dio putting an entire goddamn speech in the span of 5 seconds.

Anyways, I feel SO much better now that I'm finished with the Cavalry Battle. It was easier than expected to get back into it, even if I was a bit slower than my prime.

Side Note: I have published a new story! It's called **InfoHazard** and it's on this site. Take a look, it's a very short, easy read, and I wanna see how far I can go with the idea.

Reviews, right?

Everyone, not just reviewers, but everyone reading, YES. That WAS a mf jOjO reference, I have standards, and one of them is entertainment over 100% logic. Imagine a world with no blatant 4th wall breaks...sad, ja?

you know not, I intended that scene with Kendo deliberately to emphasize on the "memory" part of MASCE. Izuku has a decent grasp on her personality, but it should he noted he only spent one class period with her, and only had one legitmate conversation. He had no way to guess the lengths she'd go to in order to keep Reiko on her team, especially with how friendly she was beforehand. He was caught completely off guard. Sure, MASCE allows him to have a phenomenal grasp on personality traits, even making accurate predictions, but in this case, he is limited by the lack of material to analyze. Against unknown targets, MASCE will only be decent as discerning their personality, while with people he has interacted with several times, it would be near perfect. I really like Itsuka Kendo too, so deliberately making her a sucker just for the plot felt wrong.

Beast Mode92, yeah he was a little whiny at that part, but I like to think he had a good reason to be so. The issue wasn't having ANOTHER strong quirk, it was the inability to accept All Might's gift. It's not just "being as strong as All Might" . To him, it's "BEING All Might". All Might is everything he strives to be, and having One For All would further complete that process. So the fact that his quirk is one of the only ones in the entire world that stops him from accepting the gift that is offered, he is understandably a little iffed.

AquaSheep, you flatter me! Thanks for reviewing **InfoHazard** as well!

See you guys next chapter! **-Delusional777**


	18. Factory Testosterone

"Did I do the right thing, Mina?"

"Mhhmm! Izu you should eat some of this!"

"I'm not really hungry...I'm _never_ really hungry."

"Well...mhhm, you gotta tell me what you're stressing about before I can help ya."

"O-Oh. Um...taking all the headbands from Shinso."

"Totally. Guy's a dick. He was brainwashing Ojiro and Aoyama too, remember? It wouldn't be fair for anyone if they got through when he was the one in control."

"Well... _I_ was the one in control of our team."

"Yeah, but you didn't control how well I aimed, or how cool that Yanagi girl was with her ghost powers. You didn't control Dark Shadow either, Toko did! Shinso controlled, but Izuku...you _led_. Don't compare yourself to him. You're _way_ better."

"Right...but if I didn't starve Shinso of points he might not have gone after team Testsutetsu. Monoma only ended up winning because the points c-"

"Izu, there is literally _no_ way you could've saw that coming. They were just unlucky. We won and they didn't, because our teams were _scary_ , while Testsutetsu's wasn't. They couldn't stay in the background, but they didn't make themselves dangerous either. It's not on you."

"But are heroes _supposed_ to be scary?"

"Gang Orca is pretty scary and he's top ten, Endeavor too."

"Gang Orca doesn't like his appearance! In his 4th interview..."

"Oh my god..."

"He said, explicitly said, he doesn't like how his mutation quirk affects children, since they're usually afraid to be near someone that big and non-cute, and that makes him sad!"

"Well, you won't have that problem Izuku. _You're very cute._ "

"M-Mina t-thats _not_ fair!"

"HAHAHAHA! You're _so easy_ , I'm surprised no one took you for themselves already...must be cause you're such a nerd."

"I am not... _easy_."

"Wanna bet?"

"No!"

"Heh...speaking of that..."

"O-Oh, right."

"We got time. A full hour of time. So much time to talk about _so many things..._ c'mon, answer my question from before. _Who_ are you into, and _when_ are you asking them out?"

"We have _41 minutes_ , not an hour. And...that wasn't even the question! The question was, _would I ask them out_ _, if they even exist?_ I don't know where y-"

"One hint?"

"One hint, no names."

"Okay okay, I can work with that...does she-"

"It could be a he!"

"I am 100% sure it's not! Shush! Does SHE...have any weird features? Like ear jacks, finger pads, a freaky tongue... _horns_..I dunno, just throwing em out."

"...yes, she does."

 _"Very interesting, Midori."_

 _So...he's not into Yaororozu. Super cool._

Meanwhile...

 **MASCE: Possible romantic intention has been detected approximately eight times in the la-**

 _Shut up shut up shut up I didn't ask you!_

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxX

"So...you...like any girls in the class? One of my friends was curious about any romantic relationships forming and ah...nevermind."

Todoroki continued to glare at him. It was a mere ten minutes ago when he approached Izuku and Mina, then asked to talk to him privately, outside the cafeteria and outside in general. Izuku shifted uncomfortably in their prolonged silence, absorbing himself in his senses.

 _At least no one around is close enough to listen in...to this one sided conversation that isn't going anywhere._ _I've been here for well over two minutes an-_

"Midoriya...I wish to apologize."

 _YOU WHAT?_

"I've treated you poorly, unprovoked as well. I have no real quarrel with you, everything that's happened has been a result of the challenges I've faced."

"What made you realize that?"

"I know one of your abilities is to influence emotions. Are you using it right now?"

"No."

"Bakugou made me realize my...immaturity. I knew he would've rather stolen from me than from you, but when he had turned the tables on both of us, he took from you, instead. If he hadn't, he would not have been able to move on when you took the grand prize. My... _personal_ issues, have nothing to do with you. I apologize."

Then, he walked away, or rather, tried to.

"Todoroki, does all this have something to do with your father?"

His breath paused, barely audible even to Izuku. "It does, and I do not wish to continue down t-"

"You don't use your fire because you correlate it to _him_ , right?"

"Midoriya..."

"The limit you place on yourself is unnecessary! I wouldn't know how you're feeling, because Augmentation doesn't run in my family tree _at all_ , but your quirk could help a lot of people, an-"

 _"Midoriya, I thought we were past this_ _",_ he snapped.

"We're not! Give me one logical explanation w-"

 _"I don't want to use his power."_

"It's YOUR power though, isn't it?"

Suddenly, Izuku felt like he was in a great deal of danger. The air around them grew uncomfortably warm, and it took only a glance with his thermal vision to see that Todoroki's left side was significantly warmer than it was when he last onserved it. Yet just as suddenly as it appeared, the temperature returned to normal. Izuku held back a grin.

"I will not speak about this again, Midoriya, goodbye."

 **MASCE: Individual Profile updated.**

"I have no further quarrel with you either...now we're just regular rivals, right?"

"I thought I made that clear", he replied, before walking inside and closing the door.

 _Emotionally motivated. So much so that it clouds his everyday judgement. Something between himself and his father has placed a massive wedge in his mentality. I realize that Endeavor probably isn't the greatest parent, but that kind of trauma seems more than a regular teenage rebellion. The logical approach won't work on him, and I can't beat it out either. I'm going to have to repeat that phrase until he gets it. I know it's really not my business but..._

After some more thinking over the subject, he went inside as well.

 _It doesn't feel right, having himself be limited over a personal choice. The stakes of heroism are too high. I need to do this._

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxX

After coming back indoors and discussing the conversation with Mina, the sports festival participants were called back to the field. He tried to wait for Mina, but she insisted he go on without her, hinting at a "surprise", with several more winks than neccessary. He noted that it isn't only Mina that was absent from the field, but the other females of class 1-A.

" **Now that lunch is over, we can introduce you all to the final event! Before that, though, I'd like to mention that this is still a sports festival, and everyone is allowed to participate in recreational events! We even brought it real cheerleaders from America to liven things up!** "

True to his word, there were exotic-looking cheerleaders around, cheering enthusiastically. Hidden amongst the sound, however, he noted hurried footsteps and odd mumbling in the crowd. He turned towards the footsteps and immediately regretted the desicion.

" **That's...some REAL dedication to Yuuei shown from the females of class 1-A! I like their bold spirits!** "

Tsuyu, Mina, Uraraka, Yaororozu, Jiro, and Hagakure were all adorned in outfits _extremely_ similar to those worn by the American cheerleaders. They all looked uncomfortable, with the exception of Hagakure, for obvious reasons. Mina seemed to be taking it better than most, putting on a nervous smile as he stared at them.

 _Is this what she meant by the surprise?_

The females all scattered, most trying reluctantly to hide in the crowd of students. Many tried not to stare, but some students were unable to control their wandering eyes. Mina inched closer to Izuku.

"S-So, uh...surprise?", she weakly offered, her tone suggesting defeat.

"I'm guessing you were tricked into wearing that?"

" _Ughhh_ , yeah. When you left, Kaminari and Mineta told Yaororozu about some fake news from Aizawa, saying we just _had to_ participate with the cheerleaders. So Yaororozu told us, and then made us these outfits. They were probably waiting until you left to unleash their evil plan!"

"That really _sounds_ like Mineta...I hope the others aren't taking it too badly."

"Hagakure is kinda _into_ it, actually! Tsuyu isn't that bothered, but Yaororozu and Jiro probably wanna die right now. I guess it's not _too bad_. Comfy, at least! What do _you_ think, Izu?"

"H-Huh? It's...okay", he said, trying not to look too closely at her.

"C'mon Izu, we're good friends. Honest opinion! Look at me!"

Izuku slowly released his restraints over his eyes, curiously, cautiously looking at Mina Ashido's physical form. She was a physically fit girl, more so than anyone other than Tsuyu, he guessed. The cheerleader costume did a good job of showing off her _feminine features_ , both above and below her toned stomach. She hadn't lied about the side effect of her acid quirk, there were no blemishes whatsoever across her perfect form. The more he looked at her, the less focus he retained about _why_ he was looking at her. At this point, he was looking because he enjoyed what he saw. His eyes were drawn to her lips, which looked so wonderfully inviting now. He caught a glimpse of her tongue, and repressed, shameful thoughts of his made their way to his conciousness, playfully acting out fantasies.

 _Her tongue...wait..if I can see that, then her lips are moving! Which me-_

"O-Okay I-Izu, I know you're just t-tryna get back at me for what I did earlier! Quit looking at me like that!"

 _ACT FOR YOUR LIFE. PLAY IT OFF._

"HAH! Gotcha Mina! That's what you get for trying to make me stare at Midnight!"

Unfortunately, she took this as a challenge.

" _Trying?_ You WERE staring at Midnight, just like you were staring at me! Don't try to play it off Izu..."

She then inched even closer, adopting a soft, sultry tone. "If you wanted me to _pose_ for you, you could've just asked."

His cheeks reddened yet again, but he would not let himself be pushed around by Mina just because her topics were... _risky_. Heroes could not be afraid of the random, obsessive fan! Mina could dish it out but could she take it? He whispered back, his tone gruff and decisive.

"Yeah? Well why don't you? _I'm waiting_ , _strawberry shortcake_."

Mina was clearly not expecting that, her face flushed with oddly attractive hues hot pink to flat out violet. Despite this obvious vulnerability, her brow narrowed, indicating she was about to take this seriously.

"Why don't we take it a step further, huh? _Kiss me_ , Izu."

"O-Oh? That's all? I thought you were gonna _ride me_ , Ashido?"

"Well maybe I plan on i-"

"HEY! Class brats Midoriya and Ashido, quit fighting! You can do that later!", Midnight yelled, silencing both of the previously dominant students. All eyes were on the flustered students now, as they both used every ounce of their already depleted willpower to maintain neutral expressions in the face of national television.

"Hmpf. Good", Midnight said, clearly satisfied with her dominance over the two. She continued speaking, announcing that the final event of the sports festival was a one on one matchup, consisting of the sixteen students who made it to the final round. The winner of the matchup moves on to the next bracket to fight the winner of a previous one. The more you win, the more exhausted you'll be, the harder it'll be to fight on on the higher brackets.

 _I'll have a definite advantage just from my endurance alone...god what the hell just happened?_

Midnight continued speaking, but she was drowned out by Izuku's thoughts.

 _Mina really doesn't like losing, huh? I get that she's used to flirting with me because my embarrassment is funny, but I didn't think she'd take it so far just to win! She's comfortable around me as well, since she let me look at her the way I did. Was she even bothered by it? She mentioned it ONCE and moved on right to embarrassing me. She's clearly a vengeful kind of person for sure...I really hope she forgets the incident, because I know I can't. Nobody around us heard that exchange, did they? We were whispering but we were also really into it! It's plausible that someone else might've-_

Izuku felt a hand on his shoulder, and when be turned he saw the same, comforting pink skin and yellow eyes looking back at him, gently smiling. The only addition was the remaining presence of her violet blush.

"Hey, relax. Everything's fine!", she whispered.

 _Damnit! I'm nervous aren't I?_

"T-Thanks..."

"We shall draw lots to determine the bracket! Once that's done we will start! The brackets are...

 **Midoriya versus Monoma!**

 **Todoroki versus Uraraka!**

 **Kaminari versus Tsuburaba!**

 **Iida versus Hatsume!**

 **Ashido versus Kaibara!**

 **Tokoyami versus Yaororozu!**

 **Kirshima versus Kuroiro!**

 **Bakugou versus Yanagi!** "

Izuku stared at the pairings intently.

 _If I defeat Monoma, I'll be fighting Todoroki next. I have a feeling Uraraka won't be able to beat Todoroki. Yanagi versus Kacchan...I'm pretty sure both of them have been waiting for this. Mina will be fighting Kaibara...I hope she remembers what his quirk is. I should remind her before her match. Wait, am I going first?_

A flash of blond and a haughty smirk later, Monoma was talking to him.

"Midoriya, I don't dislike you."

"What...do you mean?"

 **Neito Monoma** **: Narcissistic, Power hungry, cunning. Seeks to prove personal superiority over others, using class pride as a medium to rally support. Quirk deliberately kept secret. Current emotion: Anticipation.**

"Why, you're one of the few worthy individuals in your class, of course. I look foward to our fight. May the better... _man_ , win."

Then he was gone.

"That was weird", Mina said, inadvertently voicing his thoughts.

"Yeah..."

After announcing the matchups, Midnight and Present Mic started the recreational games. Most who were still in the tournament did not participate, but Izuku did. Mina almost went along too, but declined in offer of "working on her cheer".

He noted Todoroki and Monoma were largely absent from the events, possibly clearing their heads. Then, the fields were cleared of students, Cementoss helped the staff make a concrete layer in the middle of the fighting area. It was approximately the size of the one on one arena in Gym A. Izuku made his way to a darkened hallway, the exit being onto the field. Mina followed him, for "moral support". Despite the... _new_ experience that they subjected each other to earlier, she could not help but support him, as far as she could. He definitely appreciated it.

" **Alright everybody, its time for our final event! Everything has come to this, one on one battles! It's just you against the world! Lots of situations in heroism are like that! You will have to use your strength, intelligence, and courage to overcome evil! So get ready** **, and get your snacks, because the fight starts in one minute!** "

Mina was humming a song, happy to be around her best friend, and just when she thought of something to talk about, _he_ showed up. A very tall and broad man, wearing a blue costume with fiery orange highlights of...fire, decorated his face and apparel. It was Endeavor, the number two pro hero. His piercing blue eyes told her that she wasn't wanted here.

"Midoriya...", he rumbled.

"Y-Yes, Endeavor-san?", Izuku replied, clearly put off by the unnecessary intimidation from one of the most powerful heroes in the world.

"You have given my child, Shoto, a great deal of strife throughout this festival. I believe you could be they key to helping him move past his childish rebellion...his _neglect_ of his own power. I am aware of the brackets, once you defeat this Monoma, you will face Shoto in battle. I have a proposition for you, Midoriya."

He paused at first, distracted by a unpleasant feeling in his gut, a feeling of incoming conflict.

"What...do you propose?"

"You are to keep up your pressure on Shoto. Surrounded by so many voices, on national television...I believe he will become desperate and use his fire. Once he does so, his path towards redemption will finally begin. Alongside with this task, I ask you to prolong the match. Do not throw him out of bounds, either _incapacitate_ him or make him use his fire. In return, I will grant you an internship with my agency, and will personally aid your development in heroism. Even if you are to be defeated by him, I will still invite you. Think carefully. This is a rare opportunity."

Izuku furrowed his brow, thinking a mile a minute. Just as he was about to respond, the clock of preparation had run out.

" **First match, Izuku Midoriya versus Neito Monoma! Will both participants make their way to the battle stage?** "

"I hope you made the proper choice", with that, Endeavor left Izuku in a state of advantages and disadvantages, internal debate involving morality and pragmatism. He noticed Mina watching him intensely.

"Mina...I..I don't-"

He was interrupted by a hug, firm and decisive. She layed her head across his chest slightly.

"Just do what you think is best, Izu."

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxX

Once again, Izuku was exposed to the harsh rays of sun that ironically, only sustained him further. He rolled his sleeves all the way up, further exposing his mutation to the world. He had come to peace with his appearance to others a long time ago, but with a crowd like this, he couldn't help but feel more reserved than usual. His opponent on the other side of the field had no such issues, his head held haughtily high at the attention he was receiving.

 _I don't understand how he's so confident...he knows what I can do! All he has is a quirk that let's him solidify air, like his teammate...no, it has to be something else! Two people with the exact same quirk in Yuuei? It's incredibly unlikely that they'd end up in the SAME class and BOTH make it to the final event of the sport's festival. I...I don't know his trick._

"Ladies and _hard-working_ gentleman, the fight is about to begin!", proclaimed Midnight.

 **Combat Assessment** **: In Progress**

 **Threat: Low**

 **Neito Monoma: Has possessed the ability to solidify air. Whether this is his legitmate quirk or a byproduct of his quirk is unknown. Reccomended action: Subdue non-lethally.**

 **-Mentally unhinged: May fight on past brutal injuries. Unpredictable.**

He stared ahead. Monoma was now looking back at him, uncanny focus held tight in his grip. Gone was the person who basked in whatever attention he could receive. The person on the other side of the field was now an enemy, who would take _any_ route to defeat him, crowds be damned.

"FIGHT!"

Izuku started his approach, adopting a crude boxer's stance to defend against any surprises. He shouldn't _need_ to use his abilities this round, especially anything that drains battery quickly. His opponent waited for him.

 _He's just standing there...menacingly!_

Once Izuku reached the middle of the field, his opponent broke into a mad dash, startling Izuku into stopping and furthering his defensive position.

 _What is he doing? Ugh! I should've payed more attention to him last round._

Just as Monoma reached him, he slid into the ground like a baseball player, in an attempted to get behind him no doubt. Unfortunately for him, Izuku was ready and far faster than he'd been letting on, and slammed his fist into his face, bringing his assult to a standstill. For a few seconds, Monoma did not move.

Then, he heard laughter.

"Oh ho ho! Ahhhhhh... _tsk tsk tsk_ , Midoriya... _you shouldn't have gone for the head_."

Faster than a normal person should have been capable of, Monoma got up from his prone position and threw a punch at Midoriya, which was barely dodged.

 _What the hell? How is he so fast now? Maybe he gains benefit from damage, like some kind of freaky masochism quirk!_

It wasn't just that, however. As Izuku dodged his punches, Monoma underwent a transformation. A large amount of thin, intersecting lines across his face formed a pattern of triangles, his arms broadened and took a silvery color, adorned with a metallic texture as well. His eyes were pitch black with the exception of his purple scalara. All in all, the once "all bark and no bite" Monoma now had an augmented body to match his terrifying personality, and the crowd _fucking loved it_. The cheers have never been louder as the two fought on equal terms.

" **Oh HO! Monoma's true quirk has revealed itself! He copied Midoriya's Augmentation and can now use it for himself! This fight just got a lot more interesting folks!** "

 **Combat Assessment: Complete.**

 **Threat: High**

 **Neito Monoma: Quirk documented as "Copy", allows user to copy the quirks of those they physically touch. Possesses core attributes of Augmentation user, extra abilities unknown.**

 _That's right! He hasn't shown any abilities like mine! No point with invisibility, he'll hear me easily, but the armor can definitely help me focus on offense!_

"Nice quirk Monoma, didn't think you had this much fight in you...but can you do _this_?"

Izuku activated his crystalline armor, and suddenly the battle was swayed in his favor. Monoma hit him for sure, but he barely felt it, and the impact was severely reduced. He ended up on the defensive, dodging and blocking to mitigate Izuku's onslaught, but he was being pushed back, _towards the boundary line._ As he approached the end, Monoma grabbed onto both of his hands, and the two boys were locked in a battle of strength. Izuku was still winning, but far slower than before.

 _He's just buying time, but I have this fight!_

"Want to know the difference between me and you, Midoriya?", he asked, his voice straining with effort.

"You can tell me after the fight."

"See, that's the difference! Midoriya, you have it all, except for a sense of...PRESENTATION!"

Then, Izuku heard the sound of an engine, and he was suddenly flying through the air.

 _What the FUCK JUST H-_

He landed on the field on all limbs, awkwardly saving himself from a harsher impact like a cat would. He got up and saw something that made him green with envy. Monoma was above him... _literally_ above him, tens of feet in the air above the field. On his back, a backpack-looking part of his body had converted itself into a jet engine, which Monoma used to expertly hover himself in the air. The crowd cheered once more for their new fan favorite.

" **What's this? Monoma appears to have abilities not even Midoriya has! Quirks are weird, aren't they?** "

 _Wings...he got WINGS BEFORE I GOT WINGS!?! That's...that's bullshit! How could he copy something I don't even have!?! How come Kacchan and Monoma get to fly before I do? I...I need to finish the fight, I can be mad later._

"Do you think that's _all_ I have, Midoriya? My take is better than the original, believe it or not! OBSERVE!"

While hovering in place, Monoma aimed his mechanical fist towards Izuku, and miniature tesla coil protruded from his wrist to his elbow, humming dangerously. Izuku took no risks, fulling covering himself in his armor before being struck with the full force of superhot light.

" **A LASER!?!** "

 _A LASER!?!_

"A LASER!?! REALLY?", he shouted, suddenly feeling extremely _cheated_ out of his own quirk.

"SUBMIT, MIDORIYA!"

Monoma swept a beam of malicious light across the battlefield, leaving burnt indentations in the ground and in Midoryia's crystalline armor.

 _Damnit! That weapon just carved through the armor like butter! If I keep getting hit with that I'm going down, but if I jump at him he can just fly out of the way, plus the risk of jumping out of bounds. He has too many advantages!_

 **Combat Assessment: Updated.**

 _Oh! Of course! That laser is pretty fancy, but at the end of the day, it's just super concentrated light!_ _That means_ _...internal systems, raise the color value of my crystalline armor, high as possible!_

Temporarily abandoning all of his armor, Izuku focused on juking and evading the laser. Unfortunately, he didn't have much success. Even with his increased speed, Monoma still had his reaction time, making efficient movements to ensure Izuku was still at least grazed admist his running around.

 **Internal Systems: Leg injury may become moderate with increased** **damage.**

 _Damnit! I still need that! At least tell me that the armor is finished._

 **Internal Systems:** **99% completed, ETA: 8 minutes.**

 _What!?! If it only took 40 seconds to get to 99, why would it take another 8 m-_

 **Internal Systems: Crystalline armor color adjustment completed.**

 _Oh. Great!_ _Now I gotta get this right...if someone in the audience were to get hit on accident..._

Izuku shuddered before speaking.

"Hey Monoma, you getting tired of this? Why don't you come down and fight me!"

"As if I would be so _stupid_ as to fight you on your terms! Your leg is wounded, it will only take one more good shot to immobilize you! Goodbye, Midoryia of class 1-A!"

Monoma extended his arm once more and fired his laser.

In the time between him aiming and firing, Izuku did many things. First, he calculated the trajectory of the laser's predicted route, it seemed that Monoma was aiming for his leg. Makes sense. Then, he shifted his position slightly and raised his fist, the back of his hand facing his opponent. After that, his activated his crystalline armor. No longer inky black, now it was shining brighter than the sun amidst the light of the sky and Monoma's weapon. The laser struck his hand and reflected back onto Monoma, striking him square in the chest, approximately around the lower rib on the right side of his chest. He gasped and heaved while falling from the sky, landing harshly on the ground.

" **WOAHHHH! WHO KNEW ALL YOU NEEDED WAS A MIRROR OR REFLECTIVE SURFACE TO DEFLECT THAT THING! LOOKS LIKE MIDORIYA IS GONNA KEEP HIS VICTORY GOING!** "

Izuku charged Monoma, knocking him off his feet just as he was recovering, and flung him over the boundary line, ending the match.

"Monoma is out of bounds! Midoryia wins!"

The crowd cheered even louder, clearly pleased with the even fight between the two. Izuku approached Monoma, who was still recovering from the undefended body shot from the laser. He offered a hand to him, to which Monoma simply glared.

"I don't need _your_ help."

"But you were pretty good! Taking a hit like that just to copy my quirk was amazing, and not flying until the last second was really risky, but the crowd loved you!"

"... _pretty good_ , huh?"

"Yes!"

The blonde haired closet megalomaniac swelled with pride at the compliment, and accepted the hand up. Izuku gave him some advice, eyeing the laser injury warily.

"Might want to copy my quirk again, that laser would kill on just about anyone else, and I'm pretty sure your quirk has a time limit, right?"

"...thanks."

Monoma left the field, and Izuku returned to his teammates seating section, pondering the outcome of the final event.

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxX

 **Authors Notes:** Pretty...good? *Collapses in exhaustion*

This was a really fun chapter to write! Not quite keeping up with my schedule, but I'm getting there!

Reev U's!

ShadowKing241, Izuku making up with Shinso is something to be revealed in the future. That being said, Izuku's newfound guilt may be a motivator for future interaction between them.

you know not, I have done a quick research on Monoma's teammates for the sake of quality. I dug myself into a hole, so I may as well try and find gold while I'm down here! That being said, none of them have a cool as fight as Monoma did.

See y'all in the last chapter of the Sport's Festival! **-Delusional777**


	19. Crystalline Ribs

After defeating Monoma, Izuku returned to the area where he would wait for his next match, walking down multiple hallways and staircases to reach it. On his way up, however, he noted the sound of light, nervous feet, coming towards him. One corner later, and he was face to face with a terrified Ochako Uraraka, who expressed her surprise in the form of a shriek.

"O-Oh M-Midoriya! S-Sorry! You ah...you surprised me, is all!"

Izuku narrowed his eyes.

"You should've heard me before you saw me though. I wasn't trying to hide my footsteps and...well Mina said it herself, I am a heavy person."

"W-Well a girl is allowed to be distracted, can't she?"

 **MASCE: Subject Uraraka has not psychologically recovered from your social attack.** **Combined with her anticipation towards fighting subject Todoroki, her claim is only a half-deception** **.**

 _Oh..._

The same, twisting sensation he felt before was now coursing through his chest once more.

"I...I'm sorry for startling you, Uraraka."

Her expression changed, from one of a person in a hurry to escape a talk with their parents, to one of a person, confused and unknowing. She examined him.

"Your fight was really cool, Midoriya...", she trailed off.

"Thanks, Uraraka", he said, not sure how to recover from her fear towards him and his desire to help her, in any way.

"Well...I gotta...you know, a fight to get too..."

Uraraka walked past him and escaped his sight. Izuku kept walking as well, but after only a few seconds, he couldn't move any further.

 _This isn't like Todoroki! I did what I did to her because I wanted to WIN. No lives were at stake_ , _my placement in the tournament was not at stake, my teammates were not at stake. I did that to her because I just wanted to be in first! What the HELL is wrong with me?_

He carried a weight he could not bear any longer, and it had only been ten seconds.

"I'm such a piece of _shit_...", he whispered to himself, turning around and running after her. He caught up very soon, and this time her eyes were on him from the very beginning, clearly having been alerted.

"Mi-"

"Uraraka-kun, you were amazing in the Cavalry Battle! You held the weight of Bakugou and Mei's electric insulator for a full fifteen minutes! Even when I did _that_ , you were stille able to hold long enough for Bakugou to return! Your willpower and determination to do your best is such a great ideal to have! You shouldn't worry at all about the festival, because even if you don't win, you got this far, and you'll _still_ be in class 1-A, going farther! I know you're going to be a great hero, and everyone else in our class should know too!"

Throughout his speech, her eyes widened and blush deepened, unsure of how to react to such praise. The likely possibility that she had never received the praise she deserved honestly made Izuku sad. After he finished, she fidgeted with her hair, if only to stop herself from covering her face entirely. Once she gained the courage to look up at him again, she made no further attempt to hide her bright smile.

"D'you mean that, Midoriya...?"

"Yes."

"...I-"

" **Uraraka versus Todoroki will start in three minutes!** "

"AH! I'm gonna be late! Midoriya, I know it's selfish, but I really want to win, now more than ever! Give me a hint on how to beat him!"

 _A hint? That...no, it's not cheating. We're in the same class and have seen each other's quirks multiple times._ _Let's see, assuming she can use her quirk..._

"Uraraka, Todoroki will have a harder time taking you down if you're airborne, since he'll have to aim his ice directly up to you. If you can use that to get closer, you'll be able to land your quirk on him, and push him out of bounds! Spin him beforehand, so he'll have a hard time controlling the direction of his ice! That's all I got!"

"Thank you Midoryia-kun! I'm gonna do my best out there!..."

Just before she left, she turned around one last time. "...and...thank you for that other stuff you said, too. I really do appreciate it. Ashido is _really_ lucky...", she said, with a hint of melancholy under her breath. With that last word, Uraraka was gone.

 _"Ashido is really lucky"...it's not THAT obvious, is it?!?_

With a frightened, but healthier heart, Izuku made his way to the student's spectator seats.

It was a seperate seating area with a great view of tournament, divided by walls and kept a respectable distance away from normal fans. Three rows of seats, with ten seats per row. Barely making out small convorsation over the roar of the crowd, he could determine that 1-B was on the other side of the wall Ashido was near. He was greeted with the expressions of Class 1-A, ranging from Kirishima's enthusiastic cheers, Yaororozu's gentle smile, Iida's affirmative applause, and Jiro's begrudging acceptance. Of course, the loudest one of them all...

"IZU! THAT WAS FREAKING COOL AS HELL! THAT WAS LIKE WATCHING A WHOLE MOVIE! HOW DID YOU KNOW THE LASER DEFLECT WOULD WORK? HOW DID HE COPY ALL THAT EXTRA STUFF? J-JUST SIT DOWN ALREADY!", Mina exclaimed, patting the seat next to her with fanatical fervor, more akin to smacking the seat than patting it.

He smiled and happily took the seat to her right, which was left curiously absent by Yaororozu, who was now on Izuku's right as he sat.

 _She must not be too fond of Ashido's "in your space and in your face" nature. That, or she already knew I'd be sitting besides her when I got back. It wouldn't surprise me if the entire class picked up on our... close behavior._

For some reason, thinking it aloud made him blush, but Mina gave him no time for such sweet suffering. Immediately, she engaged him in endless questions about his fight, his physiology, and random topics, usually pertaining to him.

"No Mina, I don't know why he looks different if it's my quirk."

"It was just a guess, really. If I didn't reflect it he would've won."

" _Ow!_ I'm still sore there!"

"Yeah, I can turn my eyes a different color too! Wanna see?"

"I...I don't think I should answer that _right now_ , Mina."

"My blush looks gold? Mina, I think you're seeing things."

 _"No tickling_ _!"_

"No, I don't know why _he_ got wings but I didn't! It doesn't make any sense either if you ask me..."

"Izu, I didn't say anything about that."

"H-Huh?"

"Oh my god will you guys just _kiss_ already?", came the now dreaded voice of Hagakure from behind them.

"Honestly...", said Jiro.

"Right?", from Kaminari.

"She's right, Midoriya! Take the initiative already!", encouraged Kirishima.

The void eyed pair both underwent an increase of temperature and decrease of social agility. Where Ashido would have taken advantage of the situation to tease Midoriya, she was now too... _invested_ to be able to do so. As for Midoriya...he was never the best with girls. Thankfully, Iida recognized the situation, and tactfully did his part!

"It is none of our business as to when Midoriya and Ashido finally decide to recognize their feelings for each other and act. You should all allow their coming relationship to bloom naturally, with grace!"

The not-yet-a-couple gasped, with Izuku having given up on saving face, choosing to cover his instead. Howling laughter from most of the present class overrode the cheers of the stadium. Ojiro pat his shoulder a few times, not being able to help but feel sympathy, as well as overwhelming secondhand embarrassment.

"AHHAHAHA, IIDA-BRO, THAT'S THE MOST AMAZING THING YOU'VE SAID ALL YEAR!"

"Despite his tactless execution, Iida's message is correct. No matter how likely it seems, if they truly don't share feelings for each other, than all this goading on only strains their relationship. Even if they DO hold feelings, we are disrupting their natural pace. It is not our place to interfere unless we are explicitly asked", intelligently stated Tsuyu.

"Tsuyu, I love you", said both Mina and Izuku at the same time.

"I know."

" **Alright folks, it's time for the second battle! Both students of Heroics Class 1-A! In one corner we have the underdog Ochako Uraraka! In the other, the powerhouse Shoto Todoroki!** "

Izuku was now broken out of his shame coma, keeping his eyes intensely on Uraraka. The two assumed their positions across the field, waiting for the match to start. Uraraka had tied her hair up, ensuring it wouldn't obscure her vision, as well as removing the top of her Yuuei gym uniform and tying it around her waist, waring just a black tank top.

 _She's real serious about this...I don't know if she can beat him, but I would be honored to fight someone so determined. Despite the fact that I outclass her in every other way, if she lands even a single finger on me, the fight is over, I'd have no way to mobilize myself again. A true test of my enhanced reflexes..._

He leaned foward and gripped the concrete half-wall infront of him, meant to keep anyone from accidentally falling over while watching. Despite the plan and his personal feelings, he knew the chances were low. Todoroki was too combat oriented, and a ranged fighter at that. He has too much of an intial advantage over Uraraka. His combat assessment simulation predicted she had only a 13 percent chance, yet he tried to ignore that as much as he could.

 _What were the chances of me gaining Augmentation? I still have it, despite my biological parents having quirks completely unrelated. Way less than 13 percent, for sure!_

"Ready...START!", Midnight announced.

While it would've been difficult for the average person to see in detail, Izuku had eyes few could match. Uraraka subtly touched her own hand with all fingertips, and dashed fowards, jumping as soon as she reached her peak speed. Then...Todoroki ended the match. Using his hand and foot, he materialized a massibe glacier of ice, far larger than any he'd seen so far, completely encompassing the width and length of the rectangular combat arena. Uraraka was expectantly caught in the blast, completely immobilized.

After a brief pause, the crowd cheered and Midnight proclaimed Todoroki the winner. Present Mic broadcasted bewildered quips and other such statements, but Izuku could not hear him, stuck in his own thoughts.

 _Damnit. DAMNIT! Why hadn't he used something like that earlier? Does he just want to rush through the rest of the tournament or did something set him off? She never even had a chance against THAT! No strategy aside from overwhelming brute force could've countered that! She didn't deserve to be beaten in such a honorless manner! Does Todoroki really think he can just use half his stupid quirk and **fucking** skip the rest of us on his way to victory? He'll be lucky if he could get past me, much less Kacchan! It's only from the sheer power of his ice quirk that he thinks he can only try halfway! I'll show him what it means to have no options... **I won't give him a choice.**_

From his left, he heard her.

"Izu, calm down!"

Only now did he become aware of a pair of hands on his shoulder. Mina was staring at him, a frightened, strained mask over her normally cheerful face. To his right, Yaororozu was glaring at him warily, as if she expected him to attack her at any second, and she was ready to retaliate in return. Only now had he realized the situation he was in. One of his pheramones was activated, the concrete barrier which he had been resting his hands on now had suspicious hand shaped indentations on it's surface, and the concrete floor under his feet held moderate sign of damage, as if he stomped down onto it.

Immediately, he deactivated the pheramone and kept his eyes away from others. Mina leaned over and looked up at him, fearless in her approach. "Izu...what's going on?", she whispered.

Ashamed of his lack of control, he reluctantly answered. "I...I talked with her ealier, as she was preparing for the fight. Met her on the way back to the stands...she seems really upbeat and bubbly but...Mina...she was _scared of me_ , because of the trick I used. I-I-I felt bad s-so I tried to make her feel better and I gave her a tip against him but..."

Understanding dawned on her face and she grabbed his hand, tracing patterns along the back of it, her soft skin soothing the tormented metal beneath. "That was _very_ sweet of you, Izuku. That sounds just like what a hero would do, what _my_ hero would do. There was nothing you could've done about it Izu, he's crazy strong and she needs to get close, I think...but you know...I think that means you'll be fighting him next."

"That's right..."

A mischievous smile took over her face. "So...that means you can give him a good _smackdown_."

"I don't think that's the lesson we should take away from this..."

"Just sayin! Not for yourself, but for me! I'll consider it a favor...in her name."

"Right."

She released his hand, but continued to lay her head on his shoulder, being mindful not to stab him with her horns.

"So...Uraraka in a tank top, hot or no?"

 _"Mina_ _!"_

She giggled at his response before adding fuel to the fire. "What? I'm not really into girls but...I know when a _specimen_ has _weight_ in the _right places_ , ya know?"

"You are shameless..."

"Answer me! She hot or not?"

"I think right now she's actually pretty _cold_."

" _Pffft!_ There's the heartless green machine I know!"

"Only because your personality is rubbing off on me."

 _"Rubbing off, hmm?"_

 _"Mina!"_

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxX

" **Up next as the 3rd match, class 1-A's** **Denki Kaminari versus 1-B's Kosei Tsuburaba...he's really plain looking, isn't he?** "

Tsuburaba was indeed plain looking. His skin wasn't quite as pale as that on Izuku's face, and his light brown hair was short, no particular style in place. His quirk allowed him to manipulate air, particularly in a way to create physical walls. Izuku observed it when he had used it to block Mina's acid.

 _The fight isn't in his favor, but if he can get Kaminari near an edge and avoid grabbing his bare skin, he might have a chance. The air wall might block against his indiscriminate shock, too._ _Still...all Kaminari needs to do is touch him, and they're both melee fighters._

"START!"

"I'm sorry to tell ya this, my man, but I don't see you winning this! I haven't even _seen_ your quirk!", Kaminari taunted.

 _A risky strategy, but if it works than he'll have the match for sure._

"Is that so?", Tsuburaba replied nonchalantly, casually walking towards him.

 _Damn._

"HAH! What's with that stride, bro? You think you're all that?"

"I _know_ I am. Give up if you want."

"So that's how it's gonna be? I won't give you the chance!"

 _Kaminari you idiot!_ _You don't have to use that here!_

" **Indiscriminate shock** **: 1.3 Million volts!** "

A glaring lightshow flickered at the center of the stage, as Kaminari's burst attack protruded from the source. Tendrils of lighting clawed out at a large radius, and by the time it was over, Tsuburaba stood still, having been protected by a wall of air.

"Kaminari you moron...", cursed Jiro under her breath.

"You know, Monoma said we should intentionally stay in the backline, so that we could observe the quirks of 1-A for future reference...I honestly didn't agree with him at first..."

He continued walking towards Kaminari, taking his time in a carefree approach. Unfortunately, the electric competitor had short circulated himself, and was now bumbling like an idiot, giving thumbs up to one and all.

"I mean, this _IS_ the Sport's Festival. We should be trying our best all the time, right? It seems Monoma is smarter than I took him for."

Tsuburaba was now in striking distance of Kaminari. He grabbed onto his wrist and started pulling him towards the boundary line, to which Kaminari had no objections.

"I'm guilty of being a competitive sort, but I can admire tactics for _this_ exact reason."

"Kaminari is out of bounds! Tsuburaba wins the match!"

The cheers of class 1-B could be heard all around the stadium.

"Psst, Iida-kun! Good luck!", whispered Uraraka.

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxX

" **Moving on to our 4th match, we have the 1-A's speedster Tenya Iida versus an unexpected up and comer, from the support course of 1-H, we have Mei Hatsume!** "

" _Psst, Izu..."_

"Mina, does this have anything to do with how _hot_ I think she is?"

"Dang it! C'mon Izu lemme have my fun!"

Not that he would ever say it out loud, but he _did_ actually think Mei Hatsume was an attractive person, more so than most. Her pink hair and grime smeared face juxtaposed each other in an odd way, and her...mature physique was apparent even with her equipment on.

 _Hot in a...obsessive fangirl way. Nothing that'll go anywhere._ _Focus on the fight!_

Taking a more detailed look, Izuku confirmed that Hatsume was wearing an odd backpack. It didn't look _quite_ like a jetpack, but he couldn't tell what else it could be used for just by observation. She was weaing the same hover-boots she wore in the Obstacle Course, along with a pair of steampunk styled goggles.

 _Hmm...I can't really tell what her strategy is. Anyone would have a hard time against Iida, and I don't see how those goggles would help her. The boots could be used as mobility, but I doubt they'd help that much against his sheer speed...I'll just have to watch._ _Iida is...wearing something over his gym uniform?_ _Actually, a lot of somethings._

The staff seemed to have noticed as well.

"Tenya Iida! As a heroics student, you are not permitted to bring any equipment into the fight! Explain yourself!", demanded Midnight.

Iida straightened himself further, a paradoxical feat in itself, and began.

"I apologize for the disruption Midnight-sensei! Hatsume approached me before the match and offered me the opportunity to use some of her custom gadgets! I could not repel such an admirable gesture of sportsmanship!"

"Interesting...to accept such an advantage purely out of sportsmanship with no ulterior motive. That tactless enthusiasm is the perfect example of youth! I ACCEPT!"

Iida bowed down a perfect 95 degrees before assuming a runner's stance.

" **Okay! The desicion to allow Iida to accept a gift from his opponent has been decided! Let us start this match! Midnight, if you would do the honors...** "

 _"With pleasure! START!"_

Iida immediately bursted foward, clearing the distance between the two quickly, without apparent use of his quirk. Hatsume stood her ground, showing a casual lack of self preservation. " **Do your legs feel lighter, Iida-kun?** **They should, due to the fact you're wearing my leg enhancements, made to increase mobility for any hero!** "

 _Huh? How is...she's using a microphone! Are the speakers directly on her?_

" **However...** "

Iida had just reached her, and Hatsume was half a second from receiving the shove of a lifetime. Then, two extremely long poles protruded from her backpack apparatus, putting her out of the way of danger and nearly tripping Iida as he barrelled past her.

" **I can easily evade with my hydraulic attachments!** "

The hydraulics placed her back down as soon as Iida was out of range. For a second, Mei looked distracted, peering at someone in the crowd, but this was no problem for her. A distinct _Beep! Beep!_ sounded off as Iida approached for her back, and the pole activated once more, automatically.

" **Since I've got sensors in every direction, I am protected from surprise attacks!** "

Iida tripped over the pole, legitmately about to turn off balance and fall down, but the winglike apparatus he wore blasted air in various directions, forcing him from falling over. He quickly regained balance and turned around, looking...angry, actually.

"Hatsume! What are you doing!"

" **Iida has changed course adeptly with the aid of my auto-balancer** **! The leg enhancements detected brain waves to predict movements, so there's no worry about time lag!** "

 _Oh my god...she's ADVERTISING her products! That's so terrible to Iida...but also so brilliant!_

"Weren't you going to fight fairly?!?", Iida yelled, his frustration evident.

Over the next eleven minutes Mei had humiliated Iida and presented _every single goddamn item_ she had managed to bring into the fight, whether it was strapped to her, or Iida. When all was said and done, she had proclaimed herself the inventor of all the items, announced she had nothing more to present, and willingly stepped out of the arena.

"Uhh...Hatsume is out of bounds! Iida wins!", reluctantly announced Midnight.

"YOU USED ME!!! FOR ITEM ADVERTISMENT!!! THAT WAS NOT SPORTSMAN-LIKE!!!", Iida bellowed at the top of his lungs, 100% not satisfied with his victory.

 _She completely used him to achieve her goals..._

 **MASCE: Individual profiles updated.**

 _YEAH I BET._

" _Psst! Izu!"_

 _MINA'S GOING NEXT!_

"Good luck Mina!"

" _Pfft._ I won't need luck, since I got you!", she replied, putting on a mischievous smile.

"You...want me to help you win."

"Yeah! Tell me something about...uh.."

"Kaibara?"

"Yeah!"

 _Giving Uraraka hints was one thing, but...no, it's not cheating! Class 1-B observed us! It's only natural they'd give each other hints too!_

"Okay, listen..."

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxX

" **Introducing out fifth match of the game, the h...PINK student of 1-A, Mina Ashido, versus a very determined looking (but plain) student of 1-B, Sen Kaibara!** "

Present Mic coughed a few times.

 _Mic, you know better than that!_

Mina stood in her spot, doing some last second stretches before the fight started, occasionally winking at 1-A's seatings, or wherever she thought the most cameras were. On the opposite side of her was Kaibara, a plain looking boy with darker brown hair. That being said, he _did_ look very determined.

 _Honestly, even I look plain next to Mina. Don't worry about it Kaibara._

Occasional cheers for Mina came from behind him and to the side, but he just watched silently, too focused to do anything other than think.

 _I hope she remembers what I told her about him._

"C'mon plain dude, beat her like in those fighting games where their clothes are ripped off!", screamed Mineta from the back row.

Already predicting the consequences of Mineta's actions, every male in between Mineta and Midoriya had temporarily changed seats, with every female either staring down the lecherous student himself or warily eyeing Midoriya, who was now approaching the perverse individual at a far higher speed than anyone would prefer if they were on the receiving end of his wrath. Unfortunately, the silent, shy Koda did not catch on in time, and merely squeaked at Midoriya's warpath up the steps.

"M-MidoriYAAK!", futilely uttered the pervert as Izuku grabbed the collar of his gymsuit.

"Mineta...I've tried to be understanding with you, but ever since I showed up here you've done nothing but stare and say horrible things about the girls in this class! You nearly jeopardized Yaororozu's chances of getting past the obstacle course, and you saw what she did to those **0-Pointers** , so why do you keep trying your luck?!? That's not even mentioning the cheerleader deception! It doesn't make _any sense_. You're friendly and you're kind when women aren't your primary focus, and you had to be _smart_ in order to get past the written entrance exam, as well as get past the physical with your quirk, so you clearly _deserve_ to be here! You worked for this! So why... _why_ , are you doing everything to distract yourself and make people not like you? Have you ever considered that maybe there's other things to life than getting laid? If you could just _chill_ whenever a woman is involved, you'd probably be one of the best in this class! Stop wasting your potential, and don't you _ever_ say that vile _shit_ about my- ABOUT Mina, ever again!"

With his rant finished and Mineta thoroughly terrified, Izuku let out a huff and stomped down the steps back to his seat, past a very curious Tsuyu and to a very red-faced Yaororozu. He payed her no mind and tried to observe the fight, but his eye was caught by Monoma, peering over the wall that separated them from their sister class. He had an amused, but pained expression on his face, and had broken out in sweat. His arm hung limply over the barrier.

 _The laser! Shit, he must not have recovered in time..._ _to take a direct blow to the chest with no armor..._

"T-Trimming t-the fat, I s-see?", he remarked, with a weak smile.

Izuku chuckled softly, before reaching up to touch his limp hand. "Something like that."

Monoma underwent his transformation again, thanked him, and returned to his seat. Izuku... _finally_ , did the same.

 _Hopefully I didn't miss too much!_

"Kaibara has surrendered, so the winner of this _deliciously brutal_ match is Mina Ashido!", Midnight announced.

 _No! Damnit I just had to get myself riled up by Mineta! Why is everything making me so angry today? Maybe I should visit the school psychiatrist..._

The battlefield was a mess. Splattered acid everywhere, drill like indentations in the ground, scraps of clothing (mostly Kaibara's, thankfully, although Mina's sleeves were now considerably shorter) littered on the ground, and both fighters looking worse for wear. Throughout the cheers, Mina tried to smile for the crowd, but it was clearly the strained smile of hard fought victory, not glee.

 _It seems they were evenly matched._

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxX

"Mina...I-I'm sorry but...I didn't actually see your match."

"W-WHAT?!? I fought my heart out man! That dude was tough! Were you just _not watching_ or-"

"Ashido-kun, it's really not like that", Jiro interjected, "He did something... _good_ while you were fighting, I'll tell you about it later, okay? It's not his fault."

"O-Oh, well...that sounds like him! Sure thing!", she chirped.

 _Ah. I didn't think Jiro would ever stand up for me, especially after the "horn incident". I guess she liked the talk I had with Mineta. This...this is good! I have pretty good standing with almost everyone now!_

 _"Hey Izu, if you **ever** miss one of my fights again, I'm scheduling acid tickle time twice as often for the rest of our lives. I'll do it in gym, when I first see you every day, before we leave school...I'll even do it in front of AIZAWA. I'll do it at NEXT YEAR'S festival, infront of all those cameras you're so worried about. Don't think I won't."_

Dread creeped up Izuku's back and across the back his left hand, filling his brain with visions of agony and public embarrassment. An increase of heart rate and sensory awareness, common bodily reactions to danger. "Of course, Mina. I hear you loud and clear", he replied casually, masking the fear beneath.

"Sweet!"

He heard a small gasp behind him, one that would normally be imperceptible among the noise of the crowds. He turned around and saw Jiro again, staring at him with the brightest blush he'd ever seen on her, and an expression of horror on her face. She was moving her lips as well, but there was no sound.

 _What the fuck_ _,_ she mouthed.

Understanding didn't just come down on him, it grabbed him by the throat and plummeted him to the ground.

 _Her quirk! Tsuyu mentioned she had enhanced hearing like me! She heard MINA SAY SHE'LL **DO IT IN FRONT OF AIZA-**_

" **Now here is a chance to settle some 1-A beef in the sixth match of the tournament! Both from the same class, the harbinger of Halloween, the shadow that blots out the sun, the personification of doom itself, or at least that's what the card says, FUMIKAGE TOKOYAMI! In the other corner is the aspiring reccomendation who goes by the name Creati, Momo Yaororozu!** "

 _That's quite an introduction! Creati...that must be her hero name._

Yaororozu and Tokoyami both stared each other down, victory on the minds of both. Izuku estimated that Yaororozu had a 38% chance of victory, with the class itself reflecting numbers. All the females cheered for Yaororozu, while most of the males seemed adamant that Tokoyami would win. As for himself...

 _Honestly, I'm not sure. Dark Shadow is a very powerful quirk, even in the bright sun. If it was a purely physical competition, Yaororozu would likely defeat him, but as long as Tokoyami can use his quirk, he will be the victor...I also doubt they'll let her pull a GUN, those non-lethal rounds aren't guaranteed against soft, unarmored targets. In any case, Tokoyami has a huge initial advantage, so Yaororozu will have to stall for time, somehow._

"Izu, whatcha thinkin'?"

"I'd bet on Tokoyami."

"WHAT? You saw what she can do! You _know_ what she can do! I don't like her but I know what she is capable of!"

"They're not going to let her pull a gun on him, Mina!"

"So? You're just being edgy, since he has a _dark_ theme like your costume!"

"I-it's not _dark_ or _edgy_...wait, you don't lik-?"

"START!"

Immediately, Yaororozu unzipped her gym uniform and threw it to the side, leaving only a well secured sports bra on her torso. If this was an attempt to distract Tokoyami, it did not work. Dark Shadow rushed fowards to strike her.

"W-Woah woah woah Yao-Momo! What the hell kind of perverted fanservice is that?!?", shrieked Mina, with the rest of girls either blushing, raising their eyebrows, or staring a little more closely than they should have been. The boys...the boys did their best, whether it be staring or staring _away_ from the fight. Mineta looked like he was having a stroke keeping his mouth shut. For Izuku, however, the possibilities were endless.

 _She must be planning to create something big! That move severely increases her options and...if we're being honest here, that gym suit does not protect us from anything_ _._

True to his prediction, Yaororozu grasped a wooden shaft protruding from her torso and pulled it out, impaling Dark Shadow with a half formed spear. The spirit shrieked in agony and retreated to his master, the spear dropping to the ground as he returned to Tokoyami's body.

"Dark Shadow, again! Be more cautious in your approach, do not let her harm you!", Tokoyami yelled.

At this point, Yaororozu was halfway finished with pulling...something from her torso. Whatever it was, it was _heavy_ , evidenced by the girl straining to hold it. Just as Dark Shadow reached her position, the black metal was planted firmly on the ground, and Yaororozu grasped it's handles and pulled straight up, bringing the structure to an impressive 4 feet high.

 _That's...a deployable shield! Like the ones from those special forces video games!_

Dark Shadow stopped and flew over the shield, rounding around and flying towards his opponent, but she simply vaulted over and hid on the other side of the massive shield. Every time Dark Shadow tried to find an angle, she simply maneuvered low, and all the while, a bright light shined from stomach.

"Dark Shadow, destroy the shield!"

 _Alright Yaororozu, whatever the plan is, you're running out of time to do it!_

Dark Shadow rained a flurry of blows on the shield, and despite it's firm hold on the earth, it's structural integrity began to falter, each strike forming cracks and splitting the reinforced metal apart. Then, just as the shield seemed to reach it's last stand, Yaororozu stood up tall and mighty, holding...

" **Oh my GOD that is bright! Someone tell me what's happening** **or they'll fire me!** , joked Present Mic.

In her hands, Yaororozu carried a large, high-powered spotlight, which she quickly aimed at Dark Shadow, inciting a scream from the creature. Once it returned to it's master, she kept the beam on HIM, effectively blinding him. Yaororozu's chances of winning were now at an overwhelming 80%!

"I saw you, Tokoyami! When Kaminari attacked you and when Bakugou attacked you! Dark Shadow had barely reacted to the attacks of the robots in the obstacle course, but opponents who shined brightly gave your spirit fear! Give up, Tokoyami!", she yelled.

"I shall not!", he replied.

Yaororozu balanced the spotlight on her worn shield, allowing herself to conserve some strength and keep the beam on Tokoyami, as he futilely tried to move out of the beam's path. Eventually, he gave up on trying to avoid it.

 _They're at an impasse. Dark Shadow cannot stand that light concentration, but Tokoyami is still in the match and has not surrendered. She has to physically remove him_ _, but if she does that, she runs the risk of him escaping the light and calling Dark Shadow._ _She may have figured out Dark Shadow's light weakness, but she doesn't know that he's technically in shelter when dormant! The longer the match wears on, the less her chances are._

" **Ohhh I get it now! That spirit is weak to light! Looks like Yaororozu has him all figured out!** "

Yaororozu dropped the spotlight and dashed towards Tokoyami, who was now furiously rubbing the light out of his eyes.

"Dark Sha-", was all he had time to get out, before he was tackled to the ground by a 5'8 near topless girl with a black ponytail. His beaked head landed outside the boundary line.

"TOKOYAMI IS OUT OF BOUNDS! Yaororozu wins!"

The crowds cheered, and unless Izuku had a hearing defect, their cheers were approximately 27% louder than when his fight took place. It only took one look at the admittedly beautiful Yaororozu to figure out why.

 _Hmpf, typical_ _of the crowd!_

"Izuku, stop staring at her _voluptuous_ _figure_ already!"

"I'm not!"

She gasped dramatically, "IZU...you were staring at that Hatsume girl too! Not to mention your _private_ talk with Uraraka! **Are you...planning a harem?** "

" **N-No!** What kind of question IS that?"

"For the crowd."

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxX

" **Alrighty! The seventh match of the** **tournament!** **1-A's sturdy Eijiro Kirishima, versus the shadowlike Shihai Kuoiro of 1-B!** "

Kirishima was down in the field, filled to the brim with energy. His opponent was a completely black skinned teen, blacker than charcoal with the exception of his white hair and eyes. Kuorio shifted nervously, clearly unprepared for the fight. Unlike his previous 1-B students, he seemed to have no confidence.

 _Maybe his quirk works less well in the sun, like Tokoyami._ _I can't see his features very well, the lack of light on him is obscuring..._ _maybe he's stealth based? It'd be hard to beat Kirishima without a quirk that can get through his defense._

"START!"

Without a roar more enthusiastic than it was fierce, Kirishima charged towards Kuorio and activated his hardening at the last second. Kuorio ducked under his arms and landed heavy blow on his opponent as they turned around, but with Kirishima's hardening, he barely reacted, instead grabbing Kuroiro's arm and forcefully dragging him to the boundary line. Kuroiro struggled in vain to break his grip, but Kirishima was too big and too strong. Seconds later, the match ended.

"Kuroiro is out of bounds! Kirishima wins!"

" **Well that was a quick round! No sweat man, you made it this far!** "

"Good hit dude!", Kirishima said, complimenting his opponent.

"Uh...thanks!"

The two opponents returned to their class seats.

 _Interesting. A heavy blow like that should have at least staggered Kirishima, but his hardening completely negated the impact. I wonder how it compares to my own Crystalline Armor_ _...I'll test it later!_

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxX

" **Here we have it folks, the last round of the beginner's bracket! It's been a heck of a ride, but after this we're gonna get REAL serious, so buckle up kiddos! Both from Hero Classes, 1-A offers Katsuki Bakugou, the explosive one-man army! 1-B offers someone who hasn't made quite as many waves, but was a key component in Team Ashido! I certainly wouldn't underestimate her, Reiko Yanagi!** "

Both Bakugou and Yanagi stood deathly stil, the former glaring at the latter. Reiko's odd zombie-like pose and Bakugou's tall, proud posture made the two look as if they were born on opposite sides of the Earth, but Izuku knew from his time with them that they both had a lust for their goals. A special type of determination, that does not relent. Bakugou's is to become the best, period. Yanagi's...well, he wasn't sure what her goals were. Maybe he never would.

"START!"

Reiko immediately bursted foward towards the center of the arena, surprising those who knew her with uncharacteristic initiative. Bakugou surprised everyone as well, approaching her cautiously and keeping his hands in a position to defend himself. As if their personalities were switched, caution for reckless abandon.

"What's up with Bakugou?"

"Why is he so...mellow?"

"This feels _wrong_ , doesn't it?"

When Yanagi reached the middle of the field, she turned her body so one side faced Bakugou and remained still. Bakugou stopped his wary advance once he was approximately 20 feet from her position. The two glared at each other.

 _He's trying to find the range at which she can use her quirk. Once he does that, he'll be able to play around that boundary. It's risky thought, Yanagi is a death sentence to melee fighters who can't strike before she can react, and Kacchan has no options to ambush her._

"I _feel_ that, you idiot! Don't test your quirk on me, USE IT!", Bakugou demanded.

She nodded, and with a swift motion of her right arm extending fully from her body, Bakugou was staggered back a few feet, heaving as if he were punched in the gut. He recovered quickly and rushed her.

 _That's her range? She must have greater strength with the ability to use her arms._ _Why is he rushing her though? He should be trying to use that annoying stun grenade ability of his_ _to disorient..._

As expected, Yanagi brought her right arm down and Bakugou along with it. He forcefully ate the concrete but got right back up, nearly in range to use his explosions. Another few feet, and the same thing happened as before, except Yanagi used both her hands for her quirk. Bakugou could not get up.

"Surrender."

He tried to respond, but couldn't. His arms looked oddly compressed, is if there was a heavy mold of gelatin burying them. That's when Izuku noticed her, straining with effort and keeping her hands in a position as if she was pushing down a tombstone. A bead of sweat fell from her forehead. Cementoss looked at Midnight warily, discretely asking if he should stop the fight. She nodded no.

 _She's CRUSHING him!_

Bakugou tried to move his arms, but that's precisely where Yanagi focused her strength. Enough kinetic energy to carry an adult male, focused purely on both his arms. Another bead of sweat rolled down her face, and she raised her arms up, as if she was carrying a child, only to slam it on the ground with cruelty. Bakugou gasped and heaved, and Yanagi started crushing him again, focusing on his chest this time. He tried to scream, but the air was not there.

 _"Surrender."_

Even when his lungs held no air to scream out, he forcefully shook his head _no_ , and for the first time, Izuku saw rage take hold of Yanagi. She released her telekinesis on him, and walked fowards, within striking distance of Katsuki, but he was in no position to fight just yet, desperately getting air back into his lungs. Two seconds to breathe, and Yanagi crushed him once more, with far greater intensity. The remaining air he had was forced out of him, his tormet taking audible form. The howls of pain reverberated across the stadium. That's when Izuku knew she had made a mistake.

Her focus on his pain was a mistake, and he knew it was, because in Bakugou's years of fighting and training with his rival, he had grown a pain tolerance to blows that would cripple a normal man. He screamed, yes, but he was not broken. As Yanagi crushed his torso, Bakugou found the will to raise his arms towards her, and let loose a powerful blast of pain.

Yanagi _flew_ across the battlefield, landing harshly near the boundary line. Both Bakugou and Yanagi slowly got up, having been greatly harmed by each other, but Bakugou got up faster and jumped into the air, taking a risky, fast flight without the aid of Uraraka. Already Izuku predicted what would happen.

 _Kacchan, she's going to make you overshoot and fly right out of bounds, just like the first time you fought!_

Yanagi had gotten up and was now glaring at Bakugou's reckless approach, a fierce gaze countering her emotionless expression. She took a stance and moved her arms, her left arm pulling towards her body, her right arm pulling an invisible rope over her body. Katsuki then made a split second redirect in his course, propelling his explosions _in front of him_ to counter her ghostly influence...and it worked. Bakugou was still traveling in a straight line, _on a collision course with Yanagi_. She tried to change her stance but it was too late, Bakugou landed the mother of all dropkicks into the guts of Reiko Yanagi, launching her several feet out of bounds.

"Reiko Yanagi is out of bounds...AND incapacitated! Katsuki Bakugou-"

Katsuki Bakugou roared into the sky with bestial vigor, before dropping to his knees.

"D-Damn! I knew I should have stopped the fight! Medic!"

Faster than he could blink, multiple robots rolled onto the field, carrying stretchers, water bottles, and syringes filled with unknown liquids. The hauled the two warriors onto the stretchers and left the stadium. Izuku wanted to go check on his friend...but he knew whose fight was next.

He looked over at Todoroki, who was staring right back at him.

" **Well folks, THAT was certainly PG-14! Real fighters with iron wills! They're definitely going to whatever hero agency they please! Katsuki Bakugou will recover, and if he can still fight, his next match will be against Eijiro Kirishima! That being said, with Bakugou's victory we are FINISHED with the beginner's bracket. Up next in five, Izuku Midoriya versus Shoto Todoroki!** "

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxX

 **Author's Notes:** Okay so you know how I said that this would be the last chapter of the Sport's festival? I **lied** to you. The NEXT chapter is the last one. Sorry!

I love Mina Ashido. She is an absolute blast to write so far. She's energetic, silly, enthusiastic about romance (which coincides very well with any ships she's in) and funny. It's not just that though, from watching scenes and seeing the occasional meme or so, I've concluded she's highly empathetic as well, seen as she held onto Thirteen's body and damn near cried at USJ, as well as grasping onto others when she's afraid. This softer side of her isn't something I see often, mainly because of her natural boldness, but it's there, and very helpful for comforting my guilty Izu. Where Uraraka, Yaororozu, or Tsuyu would be too empathetic or reasonable to hold a grudge, Mina, Hagakure, and Jiro would definitely would. Where Yaororozu, Jiro, and Tsuyu may be too emotionally distant to immediately comfort someone and take their side fully, Uraraka, Mina, and Hagakure difinently would. Where the rest of the female cast would be too cautious, level-headed, or emotionally reserved (Cough *Ochako* Cough) to make their feelings for their crushes known in a way that he could figure it out in a manner of weeks, Mina isn't. Where every other girl would hesitate at the prospect of making themselves INTENTIONALLY sexy, via teasing innuendos or flat out letting a boy look you up and down in a cheerleader getup, Mina wouldn't hesitate. (Sorry Hagakure, your costume doesn't count.) She has this perfect blend of personality traits that just makes her REALLY fun to write, doubly so as a romantic partner. That's not even mentioning her cute short hair or beautiful eyes...

YES EVERYONE, THAT WAS A DUCKING (Spongebob/Thanos/Metal...Gear???/Megamind/Whatever else I forgot) REFERENCE. So long as I consider the chapter up to my standards, I'm absolutely gonna have fun with my story.

Reviews, and what to do with them.

HPfan7-8, when Monoma copied Izuku's quirk, he only copied the base of Augmentation (increased reflexes, strength, speed, etc). Now, not to give too much away here, but Augmentation builds off itself. Izuku didn't have invisibility and armor when he was a little kid, he gained them with age. Monoma, however, is already at a mature age where his augmented body could handle the abilities. I'd love to tell you more about how (and if) Augmentation "chooses" new abilities based on environment or if they're predetermined, but I simply cannot, not at this stage of the story. As for Monoma's excellent control over his flying, that's also a result of Augmentation. Izuku is, at all times, perfectly in sync with his body. He will never trip unless forced to trip. Izuku had trouble controlling his abilities at first because he was still young, but that problem does not exist anymore. Anything Augmentation throws at it's host is natural to them, 100%.

Waspy: I cannot answer the question of "Can Augmentation choose for itself dependent on individual personality" or not. What you just saw concludes only that Augmentation reacts to individuals differently, it's base (enhanced strength, durability, perception, healing factor, etc) is the same, but their abilities are different. The rest I must reveal at a later time, if I decide to. As for your other inquiry about Izuku updating his quirk in Yuuei's database, that's actually a fair point. I may reference that later and it leaves me more options for training Izuku.

 **-Delusional777**


	20. Dented Metal

It had felt like months since the previous hour of the day, but Izuku recalled it all. He remembered taking second place in the Obstacle Course despite being aided by his friends in 1-B. A reluctant agreement to be examined by Mei Hatsume, and losing his temper to _personally_ destroy a 0-Pointer robot. He took first place in the Cavalry Battle, having allied himself with Mina Ashido, Fumikage Tokoyami, and the telekinetic Reiko Yanagi from 1-B. He remembered the cost of victory: Using his cybernetic **Pheramone Emitter** to misdirect Todoroki's team and terrify Ochako Uraraka, who held a surprisingly strong will against him. Most of all, he remembered his judgement apon Shinso Hitoshi: The man who would enslave his own teammates for any reason could never become a hero, and Izuku did not regret taking more headbands than he needed from him. At least, not consciously. Izuku remembered his... _frankly awesome_ duel with 1-B's Monoma, who was able to **Copy** Augmentation. Then he had helped Uraraka overcome her doubts for her fight against Todoroki, only for him to end their match with an instant victory, all the while refusing to use his full power. Izuku would be lying if he said he did not carry some of that rage into battle with him. He scolded Mineta on his perverted behavior, causing him to miss the entirety of Mina's victory against Sen Kaibara, one of 1-B's more combat oriented students. Despite all these events, the one that stuck out the most was an internship offer from Endeavor, father of Todoroki and the number 2 hero. All he has to do was make Todoroki use his flames. Yet despite the offer...

Fighting Todoroki isn't something Izuku particularly wants to do, despite the fact that it would benefit him. The fight could give him data that could be used as reference to future conflicts, so even the act of it is beneficial. He could use the opportunity to gain an internship with Endeavor, which would also be beneficial to his career as a hero. He could force Todoroki to use the other half of his quirk to begin the path to his full potential, which would benefit society as a whole. Defeating him in battle would bring him closer to fighting Kacchan in their inevitable duel for number one, which would attract sponsers and public appeal, something which is useful for popularity rankings as a hero. Essentially, everything about the coming conflict would be beneficial to Izuku Midoriya, but he couldn't help but feel unenthusiastic about it all. One minute before his fight started, and he felt worse than empty, he felt _dulled_.

 _It_ _feels just like another fight._ _I should be excited, because even without his fire Todoroki is a great threat. With his ice, the massive glaciers and razor shards leave me at great risk for being knocked out of bounds or unluckily injured. I might lose an eye while smashing through the ice...I might even be decapitated! What if he DOES use his fire? I haven't tested my heat tolerance aside from occasionally pulling something out of the oven, and if his fire is as spectacular as his ice, I'll be put under massive thermal damage. Can my crystalline armor handle the temperature? Would the armor even HELP against temperature attacks? What if I just drop from overheating? Will I DIE?_

He chuckled to himself.

 _No, of course I won't die. My greatest enemy got close, but aside from the risk of drowning and the phantom pains, the lack of an arm only mildly inconvenienced me. Todoroki will be lucky if he could incapacitate me. I'm going to win this, fire or no._

Izuku started walking towards the fighting area, just as Present Mic began his announcement.

" **We are BACK, ladies and gentlemen! In the first round of the winner's bracket, the cybernetic crowd favorite Izuku Midoriya versus the icy powerhouse Shoto Todoroki! This fight is easily one of battling giants, so uh...be on guard, Cementoss. It might get ugly!** "

Both the boys stared each other down, arriving at their positions and formulating their plains, all the while they could feel the eyes of Endeavor apon them.

 **Combat Assessment: Complete.**

 **Threat: Medium.**

 **Shoto Todoroki: Long to Medium range fighter. Relies primarily on Ice quirk to attack and defend. User's strength and mobility is sufficient enough to bypass Ice. Augmented abilities vastly sway fight in User's favor.**

 **-Emotionally compromised: Vulnerable to "Storm" and "Calm" Pheromone, dependent on current mood. Currently vulnerable to "Storm".**

 **Extra Objective: Force or convince opponent to use Fire element of quirk. Reccomended course of action: "Storm" Pheromone, used in conjunction with emotional/physical application.**

Izuku smiled as he received the information, growing bolder with every word. Midnight was about to start the match, and he was going to win it. His mind was in a state of ultimate clarity.

"Alright boys, I know you got a lot of _tension_ to work out, but please keep the arena in one piece. START!"

 _First, raise the pressure._

Izuku activated his Invisibility Cloak, adjusted for his opponent's current location, and leaped high, high into the air as he could from a standing position. The area he just occupied was now impaled by three ice stalagtites jutting from the ground, so Todoroki clearly wasn't wasting time on theatrics. As he reached the apex of his jump, Todoroki formed a dome around his position, reinforcing it as much as he could. Unfortunately, he didn't have the time to truly strengthen it. Izuku fell from the heavens like an angry meteor, bringing his foot down onto the shelter of ice and completely destroying it. His eyes met Todoroki, as did his fist, delivering a cruel blow to his right shoulder and lung before grabbing his throat and throwing him aside like a ragdoll. The most important detail, however, was that he threw him towards the center of the arena. Izuku had made his choice.

 _You're going to use it_ _. You don't get to put in half your effort for ANYTHING anymore. Not me, NOT Uraraka, and NOT HEROISM!_

Izuku deactivated his Invisibility Cloak and activated his pheramone emitter. Radiating from him like a raging reusable nuclear weapon, came a firestorm of roaring _energy_. It was Fight or Flight, except now you were trapped in a corner. Todoroki's adrenaline spiked as he recovered from his scrape, but he kept himself in check...for now, at least. Todoroki rose from the ground, a narrow platform of ice carrying him above his opponent.

 _Oh?_

Then, from the narrow pillar, an overhead web of ice encompassed the entire field, stitching itself together and forming a dome around them. Izuku merely raised his brow, while Todoroki grimaced and made his move, directing his bruised arm towards him. He heard the ice before he saw it, his enhanced reflexes narrowly dodging a spike from _behind_.

 _Forming an entire dome just to attack me from any angle...that's the most inefficient use of a quirk I have EVER seen. It works, sure, but there's a far easier option..._

"Todoroki..."

 _"Stop!"_

Immediately after his desperate command, Izuku was besieged by a barrage of icicles from every direction. Most he dodged, keeping track of the sound from every individual icicle and pillar, effortlessly calculating their direction and speed. Of course, nothing was perfect, not even him. His leg injury that he had received from Monoma's laser attack restricted his movement more than he'd like to admit. There were simply too many attacks to evade at once, and he had taken some glancing blows and fewer direct hits, mitigated by his Crystalline Armor. Once Todoroki had slowed down in his assult, Izuku activated his Invisibility Cloak and escaped once more. Judging by his heaving breaths, Todoroki had overused his quirk.

 _He is exhausted. He knows well he can't keep this up, not against me._

Izuku barreled for the pillar at the epicenter of the dome and shoulder bashed it with as much force as he could muster. As the dome shook unsteadily, Todoroki created a slide in advance and escaped his precarious position. Izuku deactivated his invisibility, making sure his opponent was well aware of him. Todoroki backed away from his standing pose, as the augmented hero approached casually.

"Todoroki, why do you want to be a hero?", he asked.

Izuku received shards of ice and pillars with deadly momentum in return, through which he armored through or utterly destroyed with his fists. Todoroki had run out of space to back off, any more and he would risk falling out of the boundary line.

"You can't be a hero out of spite. It _won't_ work. Whatever reason you have, it has to be more important than what's holding you back."

No response, but Izuku could tell anger was steadily building, supplemented by his pheramone emitter. Even as his arm and face grew a thin layer of frost, Todoroki continued to launch wave after wave of cryokinetic attacks towards the evolutionary pinnacle that steadily approached him, as Death does an unvaccinated child. Whether dodged or smashed or slashed or blatantly _ignored_ , Todoroki's defeat grew closer.

The iceman gasped in place, having temporarily stopped his attack to retain conciousness. The thin layer of frost extended to nearly his entire face now, and a brief scan with his thermal vision told him Todoroki was dangerously under ideal temperature. Oddly enough, he did not sweat.

 _I need to be careful, either his ice relies on his own hydration or he's some kind of weird anime character that doesn't sweat. If his ice was on his left side, where the heart is centered, he would be at serious risk of collapse. Point being, he's very cold and I can't push him anymore. Either he uses the fire or I win the fight._

The distance between them had been closed, Izuku was here. He effortlessly swatted away his opponent's desperate attempt at defense and wrapped his hand around his throat, carefully constricting with the "safest" amount of pressure. Truth be told, there was no safe way, but a throw could be countered and a punch to the head was too risky.

"It's _your_ pow-AGHH!", Izuku gasped suddenly, which proved to be a mistake as Todoroki had given up trying to pry his hands off, instead choosing to apply ice _directly_ _onto his face._ Todoroki then launched another ice structure at him, a battering ram smashing into his chest and launching him across the field. Both boys collapsed, Izuku from the facelift and nearly broken ribs, and Todoroki from the near asphyxiation, but Izuku got up faster, his pain suppressants having kicked in. Todoroki struggled to move, the ends of his fingers having turned a deathly shade of grey.

 _I think that's frostbite!_ _If he doesn't use his fire, his hero career is over._ _Now or never!_

"It's... _your power, Todoroki._ Our origins do not define us! So stop being held back by your _old man_ issues and GROW UP ALREADY!"

"SHUT _THE FUCK UP_ , MIDORIYA!", Todoroki erupted, both in rage and in flame. The crowd, once on the edge of their seats, now instinctively recoiled from the intensity of Todoroki. Izuku, on the other hand, smiled maniacally and leaned in, his eyes filled with something hungry.

Todoroki's flames consumed the entirety of his left side, lashing out sporadically towards empty air. Izuku expected it, but the sheer volume left him awestruck. It's as if an entire forest fire decided to latch onto one tree. On his other side, the signs of his frost overuse have disappeared amidst the inferno. The expression on his face was fearsome. Unlike Izuku, he was not smiling, he was _angry_. Pushed over the edge, back broken by one too many straws, and given a lemon by life, one that was _fucking disgusting_ and unwanted in the first place.

Todoroki was an angry person, and so it took anger in return to communicate meaningfully. It was just his nature...right?

 _Yes. That must be why._

"ARE YOU JUST GOING TO STAND THERE?!? YOU BOTH GOT WHAT YOU _FUCKING_ WANTED, DIDN'T YOU?", Todoroki roared at them.

 _I still have a tournament to win._

Filled with a newfound lust for battle, Izuku charged the newly awakened pyromancer with a burst of speed. Fire or no, there wasn't much Todoroki could do to stop him from brute forcing through their match. He activated his armor fully around his body and narrowed his eyes as a torrent of flame engulfed his form. It was hot. _Very_ hot. He could manage though, the crystalline armor was preventing any burns that may have come his way. The bigger problem was a side effect of Todoroki's flames.

 _I can't SEE_ _or HEAR anything in this inferno! I should've hit him by now, but as long as he keeps me drowned in his flames I'm effectively robbed of my senses. He could be anywhere! Damnit..._

 **Combat Assessment: Updated.**

 **Threat: High**

 **Shoto Todoroki: Massively empowered with renewed usage of pyrokinetic quirk. Prolonged exposure to high temperatures will progressively reduce user's chance of success and gradually weaken Crystalline Armor. Possible threat of melting. Will likely use flames as offensive measure while relying on ice as a tool for mobility and defense. Time is limited.**

 _Melting!?! No! NOT AGAIN._

Izuku jumped into the air, allowing himself a brief interval out of the fire. While narrowly above the flames he caught a glimpse of his opponent. Todoroki had repositioned to the center of the arena, leaving many options for escape. His vision was cut off again as the flames consumed him, but he had information now. Another plan, a simple one, formed.

 _He's angry and completely focused on me. TOO focused. Just as I cannot see him through the flames...he cannot see me._

The plan was ready. Izuku detached one of his arm blades and calculated a specific set of trajectories.

Shoto Todoroki was not having a great day, all things considered. That meddling augmented _child_ couldn't keep out of his personal business, and had finally forced him to use his o- NO. _His father's_ flames. He had to keep that in mind. It seemed that they both got what they wanted, on national television as well. He wouldn't at all be surprised if his old man talked to Midoriya in private and offered him some kind of deal. The thought filled him with rage, but he couldn't get much angrier than he already is. The fight was going well, at least. Midoriya was completely overwhelmed by the flames, and it wouldn't take long for the heat to shut him down, armor or no. He briefly saw a vague greenish shape pop over his fiery rage, only to be consumed once again.

 _Shit. He knows where I am. To achieve that jumping height while being completely engulfed in flames...the heat must not be affecting him as much as I thought it would._

 ** _"IT'S OVER, TODOROKI!"_** , boomed a malicious voice, loud enough to override the roaring fire.

 _Is that really from him?_ _It doesn't matter._

Todoroki strained his quirk to it's limit, forcing out flames lower in volume, but higher in temperature. Midoriya would lose this day for forcing him to this state. Suddenly, the same green shape jumped vertically out of the flames, but this time it turned invisible before it fell back down.

 _Damn._ _If he maneuvers around me I'm finished. I need to keep him blind, which means I must find him first._

Todoroki extinguished his fire and placed his right hand on the ground. A thin layer of ice, one that cracked under his own weight, formed beneath him. Midoriya would be too heavy to step without destroying the ice. If he got too close, he would reposition, but other than that, he would practice his newfound ability. The icy circle continued to grow, five feet, now fifteen, twenty five-

" _Clink!_ _"_ , came the sound of something cracking the thin ice behind him.

 _TOO CLOSE!_

The dual wielder of flame and frost unleashed another massive glacier behind him, surprising himself with his own strength despite being so sapped of it mere minutes ago. Unfortunately, his power did not solve his problems. There, suspended in the ice, was a forearm length blade, chipped and corroded. Chipped and corroded, as if it was dipped in acid and used to fight a towering robotic behemoth. A grunt and a cracking of ice came from behind.

He really fell prey to the old "distract your enemy and sneak up behind them" trick.

"Sh-", simply muttered Todoroki as a piece of very warm fabric was wrapped around his throat and tightened. In a last ditch effort, he immolated himself in massive flames, but the fabric held firm. In a mere six and a half seconds, the fight was over. The moment Todoroki went limp, Izuku released his grip on the cloth.

"Shoto Todoroki has been incapacitated! Izuku Midoriya wins the match!"

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxX

Recovery Girl did not like Izuku Midoriya. Not as a student, as a patient, hell, not even as a _person_. He had the single worst trait that a hero could have: Recklessness. The problem wasn't that Izuku thought he was invincible, or that he thought himself superior to his fellow man. It was worse, because if he thought about it then he'd _eventually_ come to the conclusion his method of thinking was either false or inefficient.

The problem was that he _didn't think_ about self preservation. He assumed it to be a constant. If that 0-Pointer could not kill him, what possibly could? She shuddered and hoped she wouldn't live long enough to find out.

"Are you _absolutely sure_ you can still fight, Midoriya?", the official school nurse of Yuuei asked.

Izuku replied casually while inspecting the mess of scrap that he called a leg, "I am sure, Recovery Girl. It looks bad but almost no injury I go through will be permanent. The ice was pretty clean, so the chance of infection is low...if I _can_ even get wound infections."

"Kid. Your leg was fully pierced by a _spear_. You not only provoked, but _withstood_ fires that's temperatures alone would kill a man, not to mention the burns and lack of oxygen from the flames. A normal human wouldn't be able to _stand_ , much less run and fight like you do. Your pain killers are top notch, so I don't believe you're taking this as seriously as you should. There is no shame in preserving yourself."

"I'll be okay, I promise. Thank you."

"Uh huh. You also have a visitor."

Izuku blushed, already knowing who it was. "Do you...have a spare uniform anywhere?"

Recovery Girl raised her eyebrow, "Aizawa is bringing one for your next fight, just stay in bed if you're shy."

"I need a shirt _now_ though..."

"Why? Your torso had had minimal injuries... _relatively speaking._ "

She was missing the point. Even though the yuuei gym uniform was fire resistant, it was not fully immune. Much of his upper torso was exposed, including a large strip that he ripped off to safely choke Todoroki out.

"Y-Yes but...my chest is... _unsightly_."

The old nurse glared at him incredulously.

"Your leg is barely functional, you're covered in dust and ash, and if those painkillers of yours weren't so effective you would be begging to be put to sleep! Yet, you are _self-concious_ about your chest, which is in near perfect condition?"

Izuku hung his head in shame.

"I'm not comfortable with it. That's all there is to it...she wouldn't be-"

"Believe me if I said you fell unconscious, but you're too _cowardly_ to reject her visit", she concluded.

"Yes..."

Recovery Girl huffed and opened a nearby cabinet, pulling out a shirt that was slightly too small, but it was a pure black color and would cover up his chest. She threw it over to him.

"You have ten seconds", she warned as she closed a privacy curtain.

Izuku tried not to look too closely at himself while putting the shirt on, but the effort was futuile, as always. His chest was the weakest part of him, because it was where Augmentation clashed the most with a normal organic form. His arms were 100% augmented, but just below his shoulder was where one could see the barest hints of human skin, and below that, a macabre pattern of metal stitched into flesh, extending all the way down his torso. Sometimes the flesh gathered up in desperate chunks, surrounded by plastics and metals, while other times the two were expertly weaved into one horrid tapestry. It looked like a warzone, one part sad, four parts _ugly_. He couldn't help but compare himself to a villain with such an appearance. Nothing a girl would like to see, other than to stare at out of morbid curiosity. He heard a familiar rhythm of steps and quickly put the shirt on.

 _It's like it can't decide if it wants to be human or robot...at least my face looks_ _alright_ _, even if the skin is artificial._

The curtain opened and Mina burst through, observing her dearest friend. Apon concluding his safety, her once panicked eyes were now precise and playful, her quivering lips now twisted in a cruel smile.

"How'd it feel choking out Toto? Did you say something cool before you did it? That distraction trick was awesome! I would've said something like _Heh, nothing personnel, kid._ "

"It's _personal_ , and no i-it didn't cross my mind, I was a little busy trying not to get _incinerated_ by _Scarface_."

"HAHAHA! See, you're getting it! Make another old movie reference!"

"Maybe later."

"Lame! So...how's your leg? You pretty much ignored the fire, but...there was a _lot_ of that gold stuff on the floor, just dripping out and stuff..."

"O-Oh yeah. My body managed to stitch up the wound pretty quickly. It looks fine right now, but the insides are still being repaired. I'll be fine for my next fight though! The next fight is Iida and Tsuburaba right?"

"Mmm-hmm! Iida's gonna win though, he's not gonna get outsmarted by _weather boy_."

"He is pretty smart. I'm just impressed 1-B made it this far."

"Same, same...ya know, this is pretty funny. The strongest guys in our class still in the tournament are either disqualified, or _scrapped_ up! You're barely gonna be standing when you win Izu!"

"You assume I'm going t-to win?"

"Well...", Mina blushed lightly at her accidental confession.

"That...that means a lot to m-"

"What I meant to say, is that you're barely gonna be standing when **I win**."

Izuku smiled at the challange.

"Alright Mina, if you think you can beat me, who am I to say you can't? Then agaiiiiiiin...I don't know...you'll be fighting Yaoyorozu next, and she managed to figure out and beat Tokoyami."

"Pfft! I could beat her with my bare hands, Izu! That shield thing won't work against my acid, and I'm _pretty sure_ I'm stronger than her, so the tackling thing won't work!Miss _Tactical Stripping_ is gonna lose!"

"You...don't like Yaoyorozu, don't you?"

"...Welllllllll...she kinda did melt your face. You don't really know how _scary_ that was."

"I was _there_ , Mina."

"W-Well yeah, duh! But like...blah! It doesn't matter Izuku! Worry about yourself!"

"You DO worry about me though. I saw that look you had when you first opened the curtain. You were _scared_ for _me_."

Mina hesitated, before performing a little jump in place and starting to wander around the confined room. Initially confused, Izuku gave it his best guess.

 _She's nervous, and she isn't a person that can stay still for very long even on a good day._ _Walking around soothes her, I bet._

"Well of course I was scared for you Izu! You're super overpowered compared to these other guys but you really like to get yourself hurt man! You were _swimming in fire_ and got _stabbed_ _!_ Bakugou's gonna blow your leg off or something! I just...I don't want my best friend hurt anymore."

Izuku was stunned by her heartfelt confession. He hadn't recalled Mina ever really being afraid of _anything._ There was the 0-Pointer at the entry exam, but that was a fight-or-flight response. The only times she was even legitmately upset was...

 _Whenever I got hurt._ _..or because of me._

Mina cared for him, simple as that, because he was her best friend. For some odd reason, it almost annoyed him. Best friends. How many best friends... _interacted_ in the way they did? He was sure they were closer, even if it was unsaid. Just best friends...was that supposed to bother him?

 _...maybe I should just be honest._ _It would probably throw her off too, as well as distract her from my reckless injuries._

 **MASCE: Subject Ashido will likely respond in competitive aggression.**

 _I can deal with that._

"I promise I'll be more careful for you...so... _just friends_ , Mina?", he said with a sly smile, secretly filled with healthy fear.

"Pfft! I didn't know you were such a comedian, Izu!", taunted Mina with a slight violet blush.

"What if I _wasn't joking_ , Mina?", said Izuku, pushing further. Mina's blush deepened, but if she was nervous she did not show it.

"I KNOW you're joking Izu, because you only say that stuff to get back at me! I mess with you, and you..."

Mina sat on the infirmary bed and leaned in, invading his personal space. Her lips were so close to his he could almost touch them, and a part of him seriously wanted to.

"...don't know when to stay down. What better way to ask a girl out then to _kiss her_ _?_ Show me that you're being serious."

"Y-You're just messing with me...what if I-"

"But you _won't_ , so it doesn't matter", said Mina with a textbook evil laugh as she backed away.

Izuku held his wounded pride, and he would do so with dignity and grace.

"You're so _mean_ , Mina! I'm still going to win the tournament!"

"Nah, I'm gonna win that too. You're gonna be second place to me socially, AND _heroically_."

A mixed burst of irritation, wounded pride, and raw competitive aggression overtook him. She was just making fun of him at this point, and he would get back at her, whatever it took.

 _"Mina. Get back here."_

Mina shuddered at the... _unusually attractive_ tone of voice that soft, shy Izuku was using, but she figured she could at least humor him. There's no way he was being serious about this.

 _I'll just walk up to him and stare him down, he is ALL talk!_

Mina used the same approach previously, but this time she was surprised by Izuku, standing up and softly gripping her wrist with one metal hand and her chin with the other, slowly bringing her closer to him. His eyes were closed, a _massive_ blush on his face, and his lips...

Mina's heart rate skyrocketed.

 _He's ACTUALLY gonna do it! AHHHH! IZU YOU AND YOUR STUPID GAMES! I CAN'T LET THIS BE MY FIRST! WE HAVEN'T EVEN STARTED DATING YET!_

Mina tried to raise some kind of protest, but before she could even get out a stutter, Izuku stopped, stepped back, and delivered the _absolute cruelest smile_ she had ever seen. Understanding dawned on her that she, the master prankster Mina Ashido, was _just played like a goddamn fiddle_.

 _"Gotcha!"_

"I...I KNEW IT! I KNEW YOU WERE TOO MUCH OF A SCAREDY CAT TO ACTUALLY DO IT! You are _too_ predictable Izu!"

"I dunno Mina, your pulse seems to indicate that _you_ were the scared one there!", Izuku giggled, tapping his finger on that spot where he held her wrist. Her pulse didn't lie, beating at an increased rate to match her nervousness. Mina gasped.

"I was faking it. The entire time", she stubbornly insisted.

"You were _faking your heartbeat_ _?_ Mina, nobody can do that."

"I can! It's my secret second quirk! Like Todoroki!"

"There's nothing wrong with _losing_ , Mina."

"That's a good attitude Izu, because you _just lost_."

"You don't have to admit defeat then, I'll let you get back at me for free to make up for it."

"What are ya talking about? I'll let _you_ get back at me, because you just now l-"

"Midoriya. Ashido. Could you _please_ be quiet?", weakly asked Todoroki from the left of Ashido, unseen this entire time due to a privacy curtain...which did **_absolutely nothing_** to conceal sound.

 _He's already awake?!?_

Mina's blush grew an even darker shade, but Izuku's blood ran cold. He had unnecessarily forced him into a situation where he used his fire. The reasons were solid and his methods were not too harmful...so why did it feel wrong? At the time it was the right thing to do, but now that his anger had worn off...

 _I...I don't know anymore. What's done is done, I'll just have to deal with the fallout._

Mina stared at him. She knew that look on his face, having saw it before. He was doubting himself, on the verge of guilt. The more he went foward in the tournament, the more she saw that expression on his face. She remembered their first meeting. Izuku would have never been able to pull such a risky prank on her at the time, but now he was so _stupidly confident_ in everything he did. With just one reminder, he had lost all his bravery.

 _He's almost there. We're both ALMOST THERE. I need to help him._

She brough her voice down to a hush, gentle, but not without confidence. If she could not inspire him, she could at least make him laugh.

"Hey...Izu..-"

Mina's heartfelt inspiration was interrupted by brisk, unannounced opening of a privacy curtain, with their homeroom teacher, Shota Aizawa, the culprit. In his arms he held nothing but three Yuuei gym uniforms, and in his eyes he held nothing but the most remote suspicion, which quickly melded into a lack of pride. Mina didn't catch the gaze, for she was facing her friend, but Izuku, who had barely heard his footsteps on the tiled floors before he opened the curtain, definitely did.

 _Was...was he expecting us to..._ _?_

He quickly shook the thought out of his head.

"Midoriya, you are in stable condition and not dropping out of the tournament, so you are to return to 1-A's stands. The same applies to you, Ashido. Put on your uniforms and return as soon as possible."

"Yes, sensei!"

"Yes, sensei!"

Izuku and Mina left the infirmary, but not before a certain pair of cybernetically augmented eardrums picked up on some interesting dialogue.

 _"No, Shota-kun, aside from a **near suicidal** **recklessness**_ _, I have not noticed any behavioral abnormalities. I am not his therapist, so quit pestering me! The girl? Bold, but perfect healthy, as far as I can tell. No...not yet, but it'll happen soon. Try not to embarrass them too harshly."_

 _"Thank you, Shuzenji-san."_

 _"Ah! Wait. I did notice something peculiar about the boy, listen..."_

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxX

"They were _making bets_ on who would win? Seriously?", Izuku asked, exasperated that his friends would wager cash on the match.

"Totally! A lot of people were betting on you after you won the first time in Gym A, but when things got _spicy_ , a lotta people were trying to switch back. Uraraka didn't switch though, she just kept watching."

"I...didn't think she was a betting kind of person."

"Oh she's not, but she was super sure about this one! She might have a crush on you, actually..."

"Huh..."

Izuku and Mina continued their small talk all the way to the 1-A stands, gradually approaching the deafening roar of the tournament spectators. The sound was louder than usual but not the loudest he's heard, so the only logical conclusion...

"Midoriya-kun. Ashido-san! I am happy to see you both in stable condition and in new uniforms. Welcome back!", announced Iida, who has just recently defeated Tsuburaba.

The moment Iida spotted them, the pair (mainly Izuku) were barraged with praise, welcome backs, a few questions about his battle strategy, and even a halfhearted smile from Jiro, although no one actually saw it, nor did she physically smile. Look, she doesn't hate him as much anymore, okay?

" **NEXT FIGHT STARTS IN 4 MINUTES, SO I HOPE BOTH MOMO YAOYOROZU AND MINA ASHIDO ARE READY!!!"** , Present Mic announced.

All chatter stopped and eyes glued to Ashido, who was currently joined to Izuku's hip. Her eyes widened at realizing that Mina Ashido was actually _her name_.

"AHH! I'm gonna be late! See you guys later!", she said as she ran from the stands.

"Good luck Mina!", Izuku called out.

"I don't need any luck, Momo's gonna get _stomped_ and you _better_ watch the match this time!"

"I will!"

Mina was gone, and Izuku...didn't feel alone. Many of his friends were infront of him still. Uraraka, Kirishima, Sato, Aoyama...all people that he's had positive interactions with. He had friends other than Mina and Kacchan. It was funny to think about, as most of his previous friends (of which there were few) had moved on since he came to Yuuei. He never really planned to make new ones.

 _Wait. Where's Kacchan?_ _Iida too, he was just here?_

"Hey guys, is Bakugou still in the infirmary? Where'd Iida go?"

"The walking stick looked at his phone and left, think he had to make a call. As for Bakugou...that fight with the cute goth chick hurt him bad. Honestly don't expect him to come back for the next match", Kaminari said.

"Oh, he will... _that's what I'm worried about_."

Izuku made small talk with his classmates for the next few minutes. Apparently, Izuku missed Iida's victory over Tsuburaba, but it wasn't that much of a fight from what he's heard.

" **LADIESSSSS AND GENTLEMEN, ARE YOUUUUU READYYYYY?!?** "

All the members of class 1-A ceased their chatter and perked their heads, eyes on the arena below. Unlike many fights thus far, everyone assumed that Ashido and Yaoyorozu were evenly matched, and without much actual physical power either. Mina performed some casual stretches, while Yaoyorozu unbuttoned her gym uniform. Izuku rambled in his head (and outloud, unknowingly) as Present Mic finished introductions and the fighters took their positions.

 _Getting close to Mina would be a death sentence for Yaoyorozu, and she doesn't have the physical strength to subdue her even if she did. It would be better if she kept her distance, but her ranged options are limited as well. The only way I can see her win is by pushing Mina out of bounds, but Mina will probably rush her as soon as the fight starts. If Yaoyorozu can find a reliable way to defend against the acid AND be able to push Mina away, she might have a chance, but otherwise...Mina has every advantage here._

"Alright girls, give it your all! START!", Midnight declared with a crack of her whip.

The moment the whip cracked, Mina bent her knees and propelled herself foward like an ice skater, using her acid as a natural lubricant between herself and the ground.

 _Wait...is she using the shoes that allow her acid through? I...didn't know we could bring equipment. I hope she doesn't get in trouble._

Yaoyorozu started to create something from her torso, but Mina threw a globule of acid towards her, forcing her to topple over to avoid it. Toppled over, unmoving, with Mina having nearly closed the distance.

 _Maybe this fight wasn't so even after all. Mina has no glaring weaknesses to exploit._

Yaoyorozu then revealed her hand and threw a pair of bolas, weights tied together by an interconnected cord, spinning as it flew. Mina partially dodged the entrapping weapon, but the weights still wrapped around one of her legs, forcing her to lose balance and fall over, catching herself with her arms.

 _Thats gonna scrape._

Yaoyorozu got up quickly and managed to create a large board of plastic with a handle attached to it, just in time for Mina to finish dissolving the bolas and advance towards her, throwing a hefty splash on the way. The acid splattered against the makeshift shield and unceremoniously slid to the ground.

 _Smart. Mina can't get through that shield with her acid. That gives her time to stall_ _and create more equipment. Mina needs to hurry up._

What Mina did was the opposite. She continued to skate towards Yaoyorozu, but instead of colliding or trying disarm her shield, she made a sharp turn and circled around her, waiting for an opportune moment to strike. Yaoyorozu gave her no quarter, keeping her eyes and stance locked on her acidic quarry, the shield always facing her. Izuku was perplexed.

 _What could her strategy be? Skating around like that will exhaust her faster than it will Yaoyorozu, and she isn't allowing her an angle to attack from._.. _what is her plan?_

While Mina circled her prey, the cornered combatant automatically adjusted her footing, instead using her focus on producing a weapon. Emerging from her torso, Yaoyorozu wielded a medium length staff, capable of using with one hand.

 _Mina's going to lose her advantage! Why does she keep circling?_

Yaoyorozu jabbed from the safety of her shield, occasionally lowering it to deliver a hefty swing, but Mina either ducked, jumped, or danced around the attacks, expertly keeping her momentum. It was a one sided exchange, with Yaoyorozu on the offensive and Mina never attacking, despite many opportunities to do so.

Then, Yaoyorozu did something different. Lowering her shield, she swung toward Mina, prompting her to duck, but it was a feint! As soon as Mina ducked, Yaoyorozu twisted her body around and swung with great force, taking Mina's circular pattern of movement into consideration and aiming low, a strike that would likely hit her in the head!

The staff nearly hit, but Mina's reflexes (as well as her balance), were second to none! As the staff intercepted her route, she committed fully to her duck and straightened her back, successfully performing the most dangerous limbo every attempted on Yuuei property, on acid skates no less! The missed heavy strike threw Yaoyorozu off balance, which Mina capitalized on without remorse. Mina used her toned abdominals to their fullest, recovering from her limbo while using her legs to dash into Yaoyorozu, grabbing the back of her knees as she slid by.

Mina retreated with a smug smile on her face, usually reserved for her favorite teasing partner. Yaoyorozu solemnly glared at the ground, covered in a circular pattern of acid that left her trapped inside. Even if the acid on the ground didn't exist, they both knew the fight was over. The area where Mina grabbed Yaoyorozu was covered in a weak, but painful solution. Every movement was an explosion of pain. Momo Yaoyorozu-

"-has been immobilized! Mina Ashido has won!", Midnight announced.

Izuku stared, dumbstruck at the tactic that was just flawlessly executed.

 _I never could have predicted that kind of strategy from Mina! She is way smarter than I gave her credit for! Maybe...maybe she really could beat me in combat._

Excitement bubbled in his chest and the sound of his heartbeat pounded against his head.

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxX

"Mina that was am-"

"Izu what did you thi-", they both interrupted each other the moment Mina returned to the stands, prompting a laugh from both and a few smiles from the rest of the class.

They pair returned to their seats and chatted, with Izuku particularly interested on her strategy. The absence of Yaoyorozu was chalked up to a nurse visit, and Kirishima's due to his match being next.

"Mina, that was an amazing strategy against Yaoyorozu! The way you dodged until she was forced to feint, and then baiting out her real attack to get in close...I didn't know you could do something like that! That limbo was so cool too! Not a lot of people have the balance and gut muscle to recover from going that low!"

 _Amazing strategy? I was just trying to make her dizzy by circling around...you know what? Izu doesn't need to know that!_

Mina giggled and (much to Izuku's embarrassment) spread her legs and pulled her yuuei gym top up, exposing a fair amount of her toned midriff.

"Oh yeah, I'm _real proud_ of this. Do you like it, Izu~?"

Izuku stared at the floor, trying vainly to keep his composure. "I-It's pretty alright."

" _Just alright_ , Izu?"

"M-Mina..."

" **Hey hey hey, folks! Are you guys ready for the next match?!?** ", asked Present Mic, inciting a roar from the crowd.

Izuku was immediately broken from his flustered stupor, staring intently at the field for his oldest friend. Mina re-adjusted her uniform and considered making a bet with Izuku, but thought against it when she saw how serious he looked. Bakugou was still hurt from his fight with Reiko Yanagi, while Kirishima was in perfect condition.

 _I wonder who will win._

" **Fighters, assume your positions! In this match we have the indestructible Eijiro Kirishima versus** **the demolitions expert Katsuki Bakugou!** **Oh...he doesn't look that good, does he?** "

Mic wasn't teasing, he was legitmately concerned. Bakugou walked onto the field at a slowed pace, his hand placed conspicuously on his hip, likely holding onto an injury from his previous match. He looked more tired than angry, and to Izuku, that _fucking meant something._

Midnight and Kirishima looked worried, the former speaking up for all of class 1-A.

"Katsuki Bakugou! You are not required to continue if you have received an-"

"I walked out here, didn't I?", he bitterly cut off, eliciting gasps from the audience.

Midnight glared the boy down, who looked at her with an expression of pure indifference. "I see...in that case. BEGIN!"

Kirishima advanced towards Bakugou, who merely waited for him to close the distance.

 _A close range fight. Definitely Kacchan's specialty, and his injuries may prevent him from closing the distance in the way he prefers._

"C'mon Kirishima!"

"Beat his ass, Rocky!"

"This is your chance! Don't hold back!"

The entire class seemed to think that this was Kirishima's chance to take down the powerful Bakugou. Izuku knew better though. He knew that while Kacchan may be injured, he was still _extremely_ dangerous. He knew that even when Bakugou was on the verge of losing, or collapsing from exhaustion, he would do everything in his power to win. He had never met anyone with the willpower like him, but more importantly...

 _My crystalline armor should function EXACTLY like his hardening quirk, and Kacchan has been dueling me for YEARS._

Kirishima truely had no idea the kind of shark he was swimming with.

"I'm real sorry about this bro, but you knew what was gonna ha-"

Kirishima's punch was easily dodged by Bakugou, who then returned fire with an explosive _smack!_ to the side of his head, directly over his ear. Before the tank could even hold his head, Bakugou launched himself to the ground and placed both hands over the back of one of Kirishima's knees, the pure concussive impact forcing him onto the ground, disoriented.

 _The same immobilizing technique Mina used! He was still in the infirmary though, wasn't he?_

Kirishima swung blindly at Bakugou, who barely moved to avoid the already-inaccurate strike and unleashed another explosion onto Kirishima's head. Kirishima was now fully on the ground by this point, unable to fight back against Bakugou's extremely efficient "Hit them in the head until they die" fighting style. Eventually, Kirishima stopped moving, his Hardening quirk disabled. The moment the quirk stopped, Bakugou stopped his brutal beatdown, slowly standing back up to face the shocked, silent crowd.

"Um...AHEM. Kirishima has been incapacitated! Bakugou is the winner!"

Wordless, Bakugou returned to the infirmary, where he would await his next fight.

"W-What the _hell_ was that?"

"I didn't know he was also a damn _ninja!_ I thought he just blew stuff up!"

"That was such a short fight..."

 _He's saving strength...for the final match._

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxX

" **Alright boys and girl, we have two matchups left before the finals! Iida versus Midoriya, and Ashido versus Bakugou! The winners of both matchups will face each other for the number one spot, so now more than every, and the winner of THIS matchup will receive a guaranteed medal on the winner's podium! So now more than ever, GIVE IT YOUR ALL! PLUS ULTRA!** "

"Tenya Iida and Izuku Midoriya, take your positions!", Midnight commanded.

Izuku did as he was told, eyeing Iida for any information he could get. The stoic speedster was as rigid as usual, his face locked in a stiff expression of determination.

 _He's taking this very seriously. It would be dishonorable not to do the same_ _. I will treat him like any other threat._

Izuku filled with good intentions but unsure of ettiqute, performed a slight bow at his opponent. The briefest smile glanced over Iida's face, simply nodding in return.

"Oh ho ho! How gentlemanly of you two! It's always the sincere ones you have to watch out for", Midnight remarked, licking her lips. Without another word, she looked at both of the contestants, who nodded simultaneously. She cracked her whip, signaling the beginning of the end.

 **Combat Profile: Tenya Iida**

 **Threat:** **Medium**

 **Iida possesses a burst of speed superior to the user's own, and is capable of projecting his legs foward for overwhelming physical force. Enhanced reflexes as well as crystalline armor will be tested. Iida is particularly intelligent. Tactics may be unexpected.**

 **Recommendation: Divert attacks towards limbs and away from head, while attempting to grapple. Iida has little options for breaking out of enhanced strength.**

 _Hm, so my best option is to pin him down. No point taking risks by the boundary line. He's probably gonna rush me as well though! I need to be prepared._

Izuku ran foward towards the center of the arena, and Iida did the same, his rocket powered legs propelling him into the fray and past an attempted grab from a pair of augmented hands.

 _No attacks? Perhaps he's testing my reflexes..._

Iida dashed at him again, performing the same maneuver on Izuku. He dashed in, baited out a grab, and hastily retreated.

 _Iida is too fast for me to garuntee a grab on, but my reflexes are too quick for him to utilize the successful baits. I'll need to use my invisibility to-_

 **"Recipro Burst!"**

 _What!?!_

10.0

Iida's speed went into overdrive as he barreled towards Izuku at a speed similar to All Might. With barely any time to react, Izuku activated his crystalline armor and placed his arms around his head in a protective stance. Iida has already forseen this outcome, however. Instead of using his legs to strike, he used his arms, abruptly stopping once he reached Izuku, placing one of his feet behind the heel of his opponent, and transferring his leftover momentum into the _mother of all pushes_. Through a conversion of flashing speed into brute force, Izuku was pushed over, losing his balance due to Iida's foot placement, and toppled over onto the ground like a cinderblock.

9.3

Iida then performed a standing jump from his position, his thrusters still in overdrive as his lug plummeted down like a rocket-powered meteorite from heaven, sending whoever was unlucky enough to be on the receiving end to _hell_. The kick crashed into Izuku's arms, which he was using to protect his face. He could've sworn he heard a dent, but he didn't need to hear anything to feel it.

 _Holy shit! That would've broken bones on anyone else!_ _Since when was he **this** fast?_

 **Threat: High**

8.0

Iida sped off and away from Midoriya, performing a sharp U-Turn and trailblazing back to his opponent, swinging his leg upwards like a mighty battleaxe. Izuku was on his feet, but utterly unprepared to block such a blow. He attempted to grab Iida's foot, and he was technically successful, before it overpowered the mechanical and synthetic muscle in his arms and pushed into his diaphragm, launching him nearly seven feet in the air before he fell back down, landing on his hands and legs this time.

6.8

Iida rounded back towards him, but Izuku was ready this time. He couldn't grab Iida, not with his speed-driven strength, blocking was inefficient and would leave him exposed. He had to dodge.

 _He's fast, but he lost his surprise attack. I can do this until he wears out. Dodging with armor on will be tough, but the alternative is broken bones if I mess up even once, and those will take too long to heal!_

Iida reached him and prepared for a heavy side kick for the waist. Izuku took some light inspiration from a close friend and forced himself down, keeping his body straight and parallel to the ground, but his feet firmly planted. The kick nearly took his nose off, but...

 _I can limbo too, Mina!_

5.7

Iida gasped and almost lost balance from the missed kick, but carefully stopped his momentum by stomping his foot in the concrete. He turned and swiped his other leg upwards, nearly hitting Midoriya as he turned his body onto one side, ending his limbo. Izuku felt a terrifying sensation on the back of his neck, air displacement rushing to greet his skin as it escaped Iida's foot mere inches away from his head.

4.6

Izuku rushed to get up and face his opponent, but that hubris would be his undoing. He turned his head only to receive Iida's foot pummel his nose, easily breaking it through the crystalline armor and whipping his head backwards.

4.1

Still reeling, Izuku's weakness was taken advantage of by Iida, who swung his leg like a sythe into his ribcage and then into his knees, bringing Izuku down onto them.

2.8

Iida rushed him and brought his knee into Izuku's face, which was becoming less attractive by the second. Before his opponent could even hit the ground, Iida ran ahead and turned on his heel, using the other leg to smash into Midoriya's collarbone.

1.8

Izuku has given up any hope of counterattack at this point, instead using his arms to protect his head and his focus to maintain his crystalline armor. He suffered the rest of the beating the best he could, which was focused on the undefended areas of his body, namely the ribs.

 _Stay conscious._

 _Stay conscious._

 _Stay conscious._

0.0

Then, the beating stopped. His ears picked up the sound of engines stalling and heavy, strained breathing that wasn't his own. He looked up and saw Iida struggling to move his legs, thick black smoke stacking from his engines. He backed away from Izuku desperately.

"So... _Recipro Burst_...that was about ten seconds, right Iida?", he asked, struggling to convey any kind of emotion through his battered body.

The crowd gasped at the words, surprised that any living person would be able to move after such a beating, much less do so while making a quirky remark. Izuku Midoriya had never recalled feeling as beaten as he was right now, not since before he gained Augmentation, for sure. He struggled to get up and menacingly approach Iida, but he was far from immobile. He let go of his crystalline armor, feeling a meager amount of his strength return. Iida was dumbstruck, absolutely astounded that anyone could move after what he did, but Izuku was nothing if not capable of taking a beating.

 _Getting hurt...getting back up...it's what I was always great at.._ _.even before Augmentation..._

Izuku took his sweet time reaching Iida, who was refusing to give up, still trying to get his legs to move. Izuku couldn't help but respect him, as a person, friend, and a hero. Still...

"I need to reach my ultimate goal, Iida. _Good job with the fight._ "

Izuku stepped on Iida's feet, carefully shifting his weight as to not crush them, and ignoring Iida's punches on his bruised face.

"Iida is immobilized! Midoriya moves on to the finals!"

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxX

Izuku returned to the 1-A stands, politely refusing Recovery Girl and glaring at anyone else who suggested a visit. He didn't know where Iida went, but he did recall hearing his phone ring before he went out of earshot.

 _Must be from someone important. Does Iida have a girlfriend watching the match? He's stiff, but it wouldn't surprise me._

He sat down, the space to the right of him now devoid of Mina. Yaoyorozu looked concerned for him, but he honestly didn't want to talk to anyone right now. He was here to watch her match...his match... _their match._ His speculation began.

 _Kacchan was injured and is likely low on energy, but he didn't take a single hit from Kirishima. He's done nothing but regain his strength since Yanagi, and aside from an advantage in flexibility, Mina is outclassed. She has trouble hitting him while he is airborne, and that's how he prefers to engage._ _The winner of this match comes down to how Mina can utilize her range against..._

"Midoriya-kun...are you okay?", asked Yaoyorozu, from her seat the left of him.

"That was really scary, Midoriya...", Uraraka added who was now sitting on his right.

 _Where Mina was sitting._

"I'm _fine._ "

 **MASCE: Social bonds and the information gained from them shall weaken if pain is allowed to justify unpleasant behavior towards your friends.**

Izuku sighed. He did _not_ want to talk to anyone right now, but his friends went out of their way to check up on him. The least he could do is talk with them, at least before the next match started.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to snap like that. The stress of the tournament is getting to me."

Yaoyorozu spoke, "It is alright, Midoriya. That was a very tough fight you just went through. It's just..."

"Your arms...", Uraraka finished.

 _My arms?_

He looked at his arms, the silvery and black colors eroded by concrete dust, their texture ruined by the dents left in them by Iida. Unless his eyes were playing tricks on him, he could've sworn he saw a warping in the metal around his elbows.

 _Melting._

"Midoriya-kun...you really should go to the infirmary."

"He won't", Uraraka said, her tone calm and resolute, "He's going to fight until the end. He's going to watch the fight between his best friends, and then he'll fight one of them. He might win or lose, he might get hurt even more but...Midoriya-kun, that's what makes you so amazing! Your willpower and your toughness cannot be matched by anyone here! You should be proud because even if you are in second, you've made it this far, and you'll STILL be in our class, going farther. I know you're going to be the next All-Might!", she concluded.

Yaoyorozu and the others nearby stared at her, shocked at the strangely intimate moment the two just shared, as previously they had barely spoke to each other. Izuku's golden smile brought relief into her heart. It was cheesy, using his own motivational speech back on him, but it was genuine and it worked. Yaoyorozu shuffled uneasily in her seat, questioning herself again.

" **The second to last match is here, folks! Are you READYYY?!?** **The explosive, unrelenting Katsuki Bakugou versus the fast and flexible, acid-slinging Mina Ashido!"**

Izuku broke all connections with the environment around him, staring at his two friends instead. They were both stretching, Mina slightly more enthusiastic about it. Kacchan was no longer holding onto his side like before. It was doubtful he had fully healed, but he would be much stronger now.

"Alright, whoever is the winner of this match will proceed to the finals and fight that... _deliciously durable_ _hunk_ of a metal man! So do your best, kids! Now, enough foreplay! START!"

Bakugou ignited his explosions to propel him straight through the field with barely any height to his airborne assault. Mina grinned and offered no mercy for the berserker bomber. She launched a bolt of acid towards him, but he dodged it easily, redirecting his flight. She launched a few more, but it was a futile effort.

 _The moment the acid leaves her arms, he changes his direction. He's dodging her so easily because he expects her to be accurate, and at that range he has plenty of time to move!_

Without any regard for his own safety, Bakugou continued his path and attempted to crash into Mina, who yelped and ducked to the ground at the last second. He stopped his flight and landed smoothly on the ground, turning around and advancing on Mina. She turned to face him just as he unleashed an explosion, blasting her away from the boundary line.

Bakugou went through the smoke to continue attacking Mina, but received a glob of acid to the face instead, a lucky shot from the thick smoke. Through some miracle, Mina had landed on her feet and was ready to counterattack, and was now acid-skating towards him. Bakugou wiped the irritating substance from around his eyes, fighting off pain from acid and smoke. Unfortunately, the attack threw off his senses, he could already feel the migraine coming back.

Reminded of his injured condition, Bakugou decided he had no room to test his combat prowess against Deku's girl. He had to save all of his strength for the final event, and to that end...

 _Let's fuckin' see if this works!_

 **"Thunderclap!"** , Katsuki bellowed, generating smaller explosions in his palms before clapping them together, creating a cataclysmic **boom** as well as forcing the surrounding air away at high speeds. Mina was nearly toppled over, but that was the least of her problems. With the thunderclap forcing the air away, so to was the smoke field dispersed. Bakugou had a clear sightline and raised both hands towards her.

 **"Stun Grenade!"**

The light. The sound. The sensory overload. Mina had never been on receiving end of such an attack, and she wasn't exactly looking foward to future fights with Bakugou if he was capable of doing this. Blind and deaf, Mina panicked and sprayed acid indiscriminately, unaware of the aerial attack that Bakugou would use to close distance, to him landing behind her and using one more well aimed blast to launch her over the boundary line, ending their fight.

"Mina Ashiso is out bounds! Katsuki Bakugou moves onto the finals!"

Mina got up slowly, aware that another concrete scrape would be added to her collection. She smiled regardless though.

 _3rd place? Me? I can barely keep up with my grades. Figures that it would end up being those two fighting for first. Izu...I'll beat you one day, I swear it! In fact, right after the tournament, I'm gonna beat you in the best way I can. I'm going to **ask you out!**_ _No jokes, no regrets! I'm going to win this race!_

Izuku watched Mina's defeat with a bittersweet smile. Bitter, for she didn't get to the point to fight him, but sweet, because he didn't know if he _wanted_ to fight her. Not to mention...

 _I remember saving you from the 0-Pointer...now look at you. Right behind Kacchan and I. I'm proud of you. I..._

Izuku looked at the sky, sunny and foretelling and bright future. He nodded, accepting the rush of blood to his shattered face. His thoughts shifted to countless hypotheticals and scenarios, all filled with joy, laughter, and most importantly...

 _With her._

 _"Alright Mina. I won't keep you waiting any longer. I...I'm gonna ask you!"_

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxX

 **Author's Notes:** So...long time no see?

Sorry for hitting you with that beginning wall of text, but I figured people would forget some details after not updating for months at this point. Let's see if I can remain true to the style I have going so far.

I gotta say, I struggled on a few of these fights. Some of them were no-brainers, but there are some others (Izuku v Todoroki and Bakugou v Mina) that I had trouble making interesting or likeable...or... _distinct_. I think that's just the natural consequence of writing most of this chapter in the last 3 days. I'm hella proud of Iida v Izuku though!

So um, apparently I've been spelling Yaoyorozu's name wrong for a bit. I spelled it as "Yaororozu". I fixed it for this chapter and will keep it correct going foward, but I wanna see when I get called out on it by a newcomer, so I'll leave the previous chapters as is.

Did anyone else find it weird that Todoroki's gym uniform was pretty much untouched from his flames? I incorporated that little scene for the sole purpose of picking at it. Also how the FUCK did he withstand a heavy hit from Iida's recipro burst? He puts his entire weight behind those kicks, so the boost of speed would essentially make them lethal...whatever, we all know blunt force in anime hardly means anything.

Also yes, I lied again about this chapter being the last one. Next chapter, **_FOR SURE._**

Reeeeviews!

OMNISENSE95: The question of who has OFA is something I've been planning since before I finished my first chapter. That card is something I intend to play later, but for now, let me just say this. It is NOT Mirio.

PEJP Bengt V2: I gave him a very nerfed version of the Emotion Manipulation power.

Tensho Getsuga: Izuku Midoriya isn't a masochist, but he IS extremely aware of how overpowered he is. In just one day, he went from being constantly bullied by Bakugou (one of the strongest people he's ever known), to being able to overpower him. In Izuku's mind, anyone who is able to outwit or overpower him is someone worth praise and even admiration. He doesn't lose enough to know what it's like to be bitter with defeat. It's a new sensation that he hasn't felt in a very, very long time.

Until next chapter! **-Delusional777**


	21. Eroded Muscle

" **Ladies and gentlemen, this is the moment you have all been waiting for!** ", Present Mic announced.

The spectators at the Yuuei sports festival lent the energy of their enthusiastic cheers to the beaten and battered rivals below. Bakugou and Midoriya had both become fan favorites for more or less the same reason. Few would admit it, but they were not preferred because of their combat prowess, their leadership or their stellar personalities. No, their reverence was from a more base sensation: _The Drama!_

Who other than those two could provide such spectacle? Who other than Bakugou could, would, take first place in the obstacle course and terrorize all in the cavalry battle, only to suffer such grievous pain in his _first match_ against Reiko Yanagi and continue fighting onwards, hardly taking a scratch beyond that?

Who other than Midoriya would take it apon himself to single-handedly _obliterate_ a 0-Pointer robot, display a brilliant, ruthless side of himself in the cavalry battle, and defeat every single one of his opponents, who possessed the most powerful quirks in the entire tournament, including his very own?

The crowd didn't love Deku and Kacchan, the rival childhood friends. They loved _Midoriya and Bakugou_ _,_ the heart-stopping, titanic powerhouses of class 1-A, who were about to face off against each other. They loved how Midoriya could weather any attack, from kick to flame, and get back up from anything. They loved the way Bakugou brought terror to his opponents, and if they held no fear, defeat. They weren't just watching students fight, they were watching _characters_ , people who were there for nothing but their cruel amusement. Or so they thought.

The roar of the crowd was louder than ever, many of them forming opposing teams dependent on their preferred favorites, with Midoriya's name being chanted only slightly louder than Bakugou's. The former was pleasantly surprised, taking in the much needed praise he had been accustomed to since he received his quirk. As for the latter...

Bakugou felt unusual and out of his element. He had always been regarded as equal to or surpassing his rival, but now he was an underdog against Deku, and he didn't know how to feel. Scratch that, he was too _tired_ to feel, wasn't he? He had been fighting to keep his dominance for so long, but now Deku was...

Bakugou shook his head vigorously.

 _Pathetic! One ghost girl gets the better of me and now I can_ _barely keep my head in the game! Deku has another thing coming if he thinks he's winning..._

His fury faded, leaving only dulled irritation. Recovery Girl informed him of the fractured ribs, but he ignored it and got healed anyways. While he knew in the end it would be them fighting, this wasn't how he imagined it. What he imagined was both of them at their best, putting on a show that would put emo canadian flag-face to shame, but the crowd would have to settle for a pair of cripples, not nearly as fast or strong as they were before. He would forever curse himself for Yanagi, and as for Deku...

 _Didn't think Glasses had it in him to fuck up anything other than a date,_ he half-heartedly joked.

He emptied his mind, stared at Deku from across the field, and took a fucking breath, reminding himself of what really mattered.

 _The fight. Not the crowd, or the injuries, or anyone else. Just me, and the poor bastard who's gonna lose. We're both a little **fucked up** at the moment? Fine, that's not gonna stop me._

Izuku Midoriya has had a stressful day. He could admit that to himself. From getting melted and kicked around to inadvertently traumatizing another student, he had been faced with difficult situations. It wouldn't be completely unjustified to quit the match before it started and layed down in a bed. Still, he wouldn't do that. Oddly enough, he didn't even feel the urge too. He was _giddy_ , in fact. Maybe it was because of his opponent. He always felt a tingling sensation in his stomach whenever he fought Kacchan. Sure, there was the fact that he was in danger, and that tingling fear sharpened his already honed reactions to a razor's edge, but there was something else too. Something he couldn't help but be confused about.

 _I'm hurt._

That was it. He was hurt. He was...desperate? No. He was at _risk._ That's it. But why? He had never really been at much risk before of anything. Augmentation gave him an easy life, he'd admit that. His memory and calculator-like brain gave him a huge boost in intelligence. His augmented muscles were almost unsurpassed for his entire life. His quirk was flashy and looked amazing, so people naturally liked him. He has made few mistakes so far, and outside of training with Kacchan, he never really messed anything up. There was never any risk of negative influence. He had been so _sheltered_ by his quirk until he came to Yuuei...

 _Is...is that why?_

He was now at risk. Just like at the villain's attack on USJ, when his arm was cut off and he was transported to a lake by Kurogiri, the warp villain. He was in a desperate situation, and would be doomed to drown there if another villain didn't get too bloodthirsty for their own good. He remembered clinging onto him, holding a blade to his throat as he carried him to shore. It wasn't just a danger to him, but to the villain as well. What if he had _sliced open his throat_ as soon as he reached safety? Obviously, he wouldn't...but there was a _risk_ of him doing so. There was a _risk_ of negotiations not going well, and if the villains didn't buy into his bluff...he certainly would have _died._ It wasn't just an issue of morality or self-preservation either, if he had killed a villain, would he even be allowed to stay in Yuuei? That was a huge risk to take, holding the blade so close.

He recalled his flirtatious behavior with Mina Ashido, and was almost ashamed at the way he flirted with her so many times. From joking to downright _sexual_ , he had _risked_ an extreme negative reaction from her in the pursuit of winning or keeping up socially. He almost _kissed_ her to call her bluff, for crying out loud! An action like that with Jirou or Uraraka would completely destroy their relationship. Yet, he wasn't ashamed. Mina seemed to _reward_ his risky behaviour, and so he kept it up. He...liked it.

His duel with Yaoyorozu...she poured acid onto his face and shot him in the side of his head with a _shotgun._ If he had remained under that acid for a few seconds more...or if the gun was real, even if it was a small, low-caliber pistol...

 _She could've **killed me!** I just...I comforted her...I **rewarded** her for it. Was it because I really sympathized with her and compared her to Kacchan or...did I just enjoy how she_ _was willing to risk everything for a silly title?_

It wasn't healthy. His mom would say it, his classmates would say it, All Might would...probably say it...?

 _No,_ he figured, _All Might would encourage **anyone** to take chances! No matter the risks or who or with what quirks, he would say "Anyone can be a hero!" _

Emboldened by his perception of All Might and his own personal realization, Izuku Midoriya stared right back at Bakugou, daring the boy to attack. His heart beat louder than ever, the blood flowing and invigorating him. The tingling in his stomach grew, and his internal injuries seemed to flare up, but not in pain. _Excitement._ Izuku Midoriya was at risk of losing another body part, and **Deku** was more than okay with it.

 _Alright Kacchan. No holding back!_

" **ALL RIGHT! THIS IS IT FOLKS! PLACE YOUR BETS (NON FINANCIAL, OF COURSE) AND CHOOSE A SIDE, BECAUSE THIS C-C-CRAZYYYY SPORTS FESTIVAL IS ABOUT TO COME TO AN END! IZUKU MIDORIYA VERSUS KATSUKI BAKUGOU, PREPARE YOURSELVES!** "

Neither of the two moved an inch.

"This is for the gold, _big boys~_ , give it your all! START!", concluded the sultry domanatrix with a _crack!_ of her whip.

Bakugou intended to start off strong and with great speed, but that plan was shattered by the absolute _ferocity_ in the eyes of his opponent. The normally cautious Midoriya rushed at him and jumped high, his boot seeking a skull to crush. What was once a cool and methodical inky black scalara became overshadowed by a raging hot, yet chillingly _unthinking_ golden shine from the iris. A pair of animalistic eyes that were approaching him far faster than he was comfortable with! Bakugou blasted himself just barely out of Izuku's drop zone, avoiding a painfully telegraphed stomp that shattered the concrete.

Bakugou punished the reckless opening with an explosive smack to the head, which brought Izuku to a staggered squat, but did not break his balance. Bakugou predicted the following counter-attacks: a leg sweep or an arm grab, though considering how _ballsy_ he was being right now, a tackle was the more likely follow. He prepared for the attack that would never come, as Izuku instead pulled back his fist and let it fly.

Bakugou's instincts acted for him. Instincts that held surprising finesse, but were moreso brutal. He did not move his head in response to the incoming iron missle, no. What he did do was stand his ground and tuck in his chin, instead focusing on his already outstretched arms. He activated his quirk while bringing his palms together, focusing the blast directly onto Izuku's midsection. The punch landed and easily broke his nose, but he _fucking rolled with it, goddamnit._

"SAY GOODBYE TO YOUR _RIBS_ , DEKU! **DIE!** "

He put everything he had into the two-handed blast, and the results showed. Even with the crystalline armor, Deku was launched backwards a fair distance, simply overpowered by the raw concussive force of his explosion. Bakugou tried to close the distance to beat him down while he could, but only a few steps in his knees buckled and an overwhelming dizziness assulted his head. He should've known better than to think he would be able to take that punch in his state. The blood continued to stream down his chin and drip onto the concrete.

"God...damnit...", he cursed, having no choice but to recompose himself. Still, his eyes never left his opponent, who...hadn't gotten up yet.

Deku groaned, and then made a sound that drove spikes of fear into his heart. It was a sound he had heard before, at the attack on USJ when that _shitstain_ _warp bastard_ sliced his arm off. It was more than that though...he had heard the sound from Deku when they were young. _Very young._ Since before he got that quirk that turned him into a force to be reckoned with...when he hurt him for the hell of it.

 _Not to train or get better...just because I..._

He shut the memories out, not wanting to be reminded of them ever again. It didn't matter, Deku wasn't a weakling anymore. He proved it too, because despite those bone chilling sounds and howls that one often associates with extreme pain, he _got right back up as always._

Izuku's entire body was on fire, and it wasn't just skin deep. His muscles...even some bones...were coated in white-hot liquid, running through his veins and reminding him just how human he was. The pain suppressant drugs that his body kept in reserve have faded, being used completely to keep him relatively comfortable through his fights so far. Now he felt it _all._ The mangled leg, the fractured collarbone, and a few broken ribs, previously weakened by Iida. The illusion that he was invincible had faded from himself, and he was left to face the same reality everyone else faced every day.

 _Pain._

"So...", Izuku whispered, to nobody in particular, "This is what it means to be human?"

Kacchan was on his way to give him an answer, and Izuku realized standing still wasn't the best option.

 _Standing still means **more** pain!_

He dove to the ground to avoid a fly by, but the quick movement only added more fuel to the fire that was his agony. He gasped and got himself up, almost overwhelmed by the horrible sensations. The tingling in his stomach returned again. The thought of losing everything wasn't just a fantasy or some hypothetical scenario to give into, it was _real_ and he felt it now. This was it, damnit! He was in excruciating agony, his childhood friend was about to kick his ass, his body was about to become even further destroyed, and it was all going down on national television. It...

 ** _"It has never felt so real until this moment."_**

Izuku gave in, and Deku took center stage once again. His opponent was coming in for another aerial attack, so why wait for him? Fighting through the agony in every step, Deku used every fiber of his superhuman strength to catapult himself in a crash collision course with the bomber. He made a desperate grab for the other boy, who evaded just out of his reach. He braced himself for the fall, and fall he did. Gravity was a cruel mistress, and she ensured that his legs felt _every_ ache and pain magnified when he reached the ground, prompting another painful sound from him. If his enemy felt any sympathy, it wasn't shown, as he came down to punish once again.

Bakugou had been in enough fights to know the sound of a person shattered by pain. He knew that tone from multiple individuals, either his victims, rivals, or in exceedingly rare occasions, his equals. While he knew that Deku was careful above all else, he has been the _exact opposite_ for this fight, as well as being new to the sensations of overwhelming agony. A part of him was urged to hold back, to play it safe, but playing it safe while the enemy is broken is how you _lose._ While he usually would have not given into his predatory instincts...

He just couldn't help it. How often was Deku like this? How often could he actually _feel_ the weight of his attacks? Until now, he had always attacked his body, not his spirit. It was time to break away at the impenetrable mountain before him. Bakugou transformed from a bomber to a hellish _missle_ , with his target sitting still. Deku was incapacitated from his pain, and so he would attack him. It was truly a solid plan until he was punched out of his dive.

Indeed, Deku hadn't just fought his pain, but _embraced it_ as if it was pink and spouted horns. The scream that erupted from his core wasn't out of cold calculation, nor was his punch, which missed it's mark and instead landed on his left shoulder. Bakugou cursed but didn't let his gambit go to waste, and unleashed an explosion onto Deku's no-longer-pretty face, repaying him in full for the broken nose. The attack launched him away and to his knees.

"H...How...How's the..."

Bakugou was too busy taking in air to make his taunt, but both of them knew damn well what the message was.

 _How's the nose, bitch?_

The question was answered quickly, as Deku got up from his concrete mattress and looked him directly in the eyes. The pinnacle of evolution brought his hand to his out-of-place jaw and cheekbone, pushing the dislocated mouthpiece back into place. His eyes never faltered, instead continuing their unusual golden glow, outshining the golden blood dripping from his broken nose. The pain changed, but the ferocity never did, staring him down as if it could kill him...wait, he wasn't staring at him. He was staring at something _on him._ Bakugou followed his eyes, which settled on his left. He only now noticed the lack of cooperation from the once reliable appendage.

 _Shit. SHIT._

The fight was lost. Judging from the distance between them, it would take Deku one, maybe one and three quarters of a second to close the distance and knock him out or grab his arm and push him out of bounds. He was tired as fuck, couldn't move his dislocated shoulder, and could _barely_ move everything else. What should've been a big fight was reduced to their usual warm up because of Ghost Bitch, Copycat, Ice Dumbass, and Glasses. Any pros looking must've been fucking repulsed by how pathetic this showdown was. Still...

 _No fucking reason to give up!_

Deku was staring at him like a total dumbass, which meant he was essentially giving up the win for whatever reason. Bakugou shifted onto his legs and grabbed his left wrist with his right hand. Deku stared, stupidly waiting instead of claiming the win. Bakugou bit onto the front of his gym uniform.

 _Now for the fun._

He knew from experience that the swift yank was bullshit. As if it would be that easy. No. What he had to do was tighten his grip around his wrist and...

Bakugou steadily pulled his limb away from him and straight, careful to apply the same amount of pressure throughout in order to avoid fucking up anything else. The ball of his arm bone was agonizingly guided back into it's socket and Bakugou let up immediately. His scream was muffled by the uniform, and a memory returned.

They were still pretty young, and it was one of their first matchups against each other. Deku came at him and tried to grab his arm, but the hand landed a bit high. He grabbed, _hard_ , and pulled him onto his ass. Back as a kid, he could've sworn it didn't hurt as much...no, the real pain was how Deku immediately broke into _tears_ and kept it going for almost an entire year before he gave into their training again. Ever since then...

 _You've always **fucking** **held back.** _

Bakugou curled his fingers and formed a fist. Without full usage of both his arms, he would never be able to use the **_Howitzer Impact_** in combat. He'd practiced it a few times, in secret of course. It was one of those techniques that Deku would be able to counter after a single viewing. No, he would have to improvise. But how?

 _What would Deku do?_

The fact that the thought even _occured_ to him almost made him vomit, though that might have just been the headache. He couldn't believe how natural it felt. How _right_ it seemed. What would Deku do in this situation? He would adapt to his new circumstances, anticipate the behavior of his enemy, and plan around that. Shit, he did it against Iida, using Pinkie's limbo move to stay in the game. He was a shameless copycat.

 _It did win him the match though_ , he thought begrudgingly.

Shivers of electricity danced across his skin and into every nerve. It did win him the match, didn't it? That was...that was what mattered, wasn't it? Winning. That was the core value that mattered most. His pride mattered, but when actually fighting a villain...

 _I've been holding **myself** back._

The weight of Deku's glare was instantly lessened. The mountain of threat could now be climbed. The augmented hero smiled and spoke to him, his cool demeanor now downright vicious.

"Finally ready to fight, _Kacchan?_ Ready to get _your_ spot as number one? TRY IT! I'll never stay down, even without the suppressors I'll never stay down! I... _I'm not just a quirk, Shinso._ "

Imhuman strength, superior reflexes, and an unsurpassed mind.

 ** _"I am INVINCIBLE."_**

Bakugou smiled. It's a good thing he was throwing the last one out the window.

 _It doesn't matter who you are, Deku. What matters is the win._

Both the boys picked up speed, both of them initiating the fight at once. Something Bakugou had noticed was integral to his improvised technique, and that was the utter lack of augmented abilities from his opponent. It could be Deku being stupid, nostalgic, or downright prideful, but Bakugou knew a little better. His opponent was _exhausted._ Using those abilities risked cutting the fight early, which meant he was now more vulnerable than ever. Without his crystalline armor, Deku would be easy to launch around with explosions.

 _Oh you're gonna get launched alright._

Bakugou broke the distance and jumped, bringing his uninjured arm down as if to bring an explosion from above, but it was a fluke! He just needed his opponent to commit to a counter-attack. Deku obliged him, as he changed his footing and brought his arms out. A tackle! Bakugou then started his risky, improvised maneuver. Using his recently dislocated arm that no sane person (or perhaps, an extremely sane person) would use, he blasted himself away and downwards from the tackle, ending up with a hell of a bruise on right shoulder, and directly below Deku. He used both his legs to kick Deku's most damaged looking one, the one that had been injured by Monoma and Todoroki. His gambit payed off, as the boy's footing was lost. He was about to have the equivalent of a small car fall directly onto him, and Bakugou had never been happier.

"NOW FOR THE _FUN_ PART!"

Already knowing he would twist around to keep him in his sights, Bakugou prepared a stun grenade in his injured hand, and primed his other for raw power. He unleashed hell the moment he saw the voids of his eyes. Blind and deaf, Deku was launched into the air, and at the apex of his launch, when the sensation of gravity began to hold him in it's chilling grip, Bakugou launched himself upwards and unleashed a two-handed attack, blasting the boy even further than before. It wasn't until Bakugou unleashed yet another explosion that Deku realized _exactly_ what was happening.

A larger, near-impervious, and incredibly strong opponent with no other options for mobility, being thrown into the air where they had no control whatsoever, as they are beaten by another...

 _Kacchan...I never thought you'd be the type to use someone else's technique_ , Izuku thought.

Katsuki Bakugou, with every muscle left available to him, gripped onto his opponents wrist and rocketed upwards as high as he could, almost the height of the stadium itself, and heaved Izuku Midoriya over his shoulder and down to Earth. Despite Izuku's increased weight, Katsuki easily caught up to his mid-air descent, quickly swiped the sweat from his face, and pointed both his palms towards his friend for the last time today.

Izuku was smiling.

 **"HOWITZERRR SMAAAAAAAASH!"**

The explosion birthed a wave of light and sound comparable to sun and storm. The shockwaves from the cataclysm reverberated in the bones of those in the stadium, causing the old wounds of a certain few to ache. A large cloud of smoke obscured everyone's view, save for one man in the arena. He was a towering figure that seemed to stand out, with two vague shapes over his massive shoulders. Dressed in his iconic costume, he jumped upwards, easily clearing twice the height of the stadium, and blew the smoke away before he landed again.

" **Well well well, folks! Look at who decided to step in! Can't resist showing off, eh All Might?** "

The one man standing lifted his head and showed off a multi-prize winning smile and laughed iconically, lifting the spirits of all who heard it.

 **"Nonsense, dear friend! I simply couldn't allow these two spirited young men to come to further harm!"**

Everyone screamed and went wild for the legendary hero's grand entrance, as he gently placed both of them down and investigated their injuries. While he wasn't medically specialized, the symbol of peace had seen enough death to last a hundred lifetimes. The two boys would survive. The more lively of the two, Katsuki Bakugou, struggled to move his limbs. As for the other...

 _Young Midoriya...rest well. I pray you haven't pushed yourself too far._

All Might looked at Midnight and gestured to the boys. She smiled coyly at him, conveying an answer to the question he hasn't asked yet. She threw her whip over to him, which seemed small in his hands.

 _Ahh, Midnight. Am I so easily readable?_

"Do you wish to stand, young Bakugou?", he whispered.

The boy obviously couldn't, but that wasn't the question. The question was, _Would you let me help you stand?_ Bakugou nodded, even if it wasn't needed. He already answered that question in battle. All Might gently propped Bakugou on his feet with with on arm, and with the other he cracked Midnight's whip with such force it was heard from miles away. The boy forgone his attempts to stand, relying fully on All Might, and poured his remaining energy into raising his fist in victory.

 **"By Midnight's decree, Izuku Midoriya has been incapacitated, so that makes KATSUKI BAKUGOU THE WINNER OF THE YUUEI SPORT'S FESTIVAL!"**

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxX

15 minutes. They give him 15 _fucking minutes_ to try and "make himself presentable" for the winners podium. That was 15 minutes of stuffing energy bars down his gullet and refusing treatment from that grandma nurse just to stay awake for the ceremony. 15 minutes of having to listen to everyone congratulate him about how he _almost broke his arms_ and quip about him "stealing All Might's moves", while completely ignoring how Deku did the same thing. 15 Minutes of robot dumbass and alien queen being completely absent, with people occasionally leaving to check up on said dumbass. At least Todoroki wasn't being an asshole right now.

 _Actually, make that three people missing. Where the fuck is Glasses?_ He was just about to ask when Midnight swung around and did so for him.

"Students of 1-A!", she announced authoritatively, keeping her gimmick up even outside of the camera's view, "Mina Ashido and Tenya Iida are tied for 3rd place, and will _both_ be present for the ceremony alongside Katsuki Bakugou. Judging from Izuku Midoriya's current state, he won't wake up in time."

She eyed the students shamelessly, occasionally stopping to glare more intensely at certain students (much to their mixed emotions).

"Where's Iida?", she asked. This prompted a solemn cough from the usually bubbly Uraraka, though Bakugou just referred to her as Bubbles, or Round Face if he was in a bad mood.

Round Face replied, "He...he left."

Midnight frowned. "He _left?_ He came 3rd place in the Yuuei sports festival, what do you mean he..."

 _C_ _rap, nice job, Femdom._

Bubbles was now on the verge of crying in front of the entire class. Midnight quickly ushered for her to follow, eager for an explanation away from everyone else. Uraraka and Midnight entered the hall, where she would nearly break down telling her that Iida pulled her aside during Midoriya's fight and informed her of a villain attack on his brother, the already established pro hero Ingenium. He left immediately to see his brother in the hospital. However, nobody in 1-A aside from Uraraka knows this yet, so don't tell them, okay?

Ahem. Change scene.

"Ashido. He's not going to wake up", Recovery Girl huffed impatiently. She was already stressed from having to explain to the boy's hysterical mother that he was in stable condition. While she was thankful for the advice Ashido had given in regards to Midoriya's photosynthetic batteries aiding his internal repair system, she was overstaying her patient visit. She also tried to ruffle the boy's hair, despite her many warnings against making physical contant with her patient.

"I...I want him to be there. He's earned this! I don't think he's ever exhausted himself like this before...before we met. He did it so he-"

"He did it because he's a _man,_ a reckless, sacrificial, overenduring fanboy who's quirk enables him to hold himself to impossible ideals! He did not do this with any intentions in mind, _it's just Midoriya's nature._ This is not something to be encouraged, dear", she cut off. Ashido sniffled and used another tissue in response.

"I dunno if I want to go up there while he's like this. Can't you turn on a buncha lamps and shine them on him so he has more energy t-"

"The rate at which he receives energy is not the concern. His internal construction can only repair the damage done at so quickly a rate, and judging from the last time he was damaged like this, an excess of energy does not permit overproduction beyond normal levels. He is receiving more than enough to continue his repairs just from having his face exposed to the sun...", Recovery Girl glared at Ashiso without the slightest hint of mercy, "If you were to _leave_ , I could expose _more_ of his body to the sun, allowing for more energy, despite how unnecessary it would be. However, I cannot do that in the presence of a student, barring an emergency."

Mina blushed at the implication of a fully sun exposed Izuku. She was mature enough for such thoughts, she liked to think. That being said...

 _I don't think I've EVER thought about him like **that** before today. At least...not seriously..._ _what would it even look li-_

The now-purple girl squeaked quietly, surprised by her own tenacity around such a subject. She hadn't even seen him _shirtless_ and now she was imagining...

 _Shirtless, huh?_

Mina looked at Izuku. It was strange, wasn't it? He could draw energy from the sun, but only his face and neck were fully exposed to it. Even if she wasn't a _medical professional_ , wouldn't it be...safe enough to at least take his shirt off? More skin, more sun, more energy. That made sense.

 _So...why didn't she?_

Mina reached out for the hem of his Yuuei gym uniform, before she was punished with a wicked _smack!_ from Recovery Girl's cane. She pulled her hand back at a speed faster than Izuku's punch, which is the writer's speech for "really, really fast".

"OW!", she exclaimed.

"Did I say you could touch my patient, miss Ashido? This is _exactly_ why I had those two boys treated at different locations! You heroics students never know when to quit butting your heads into other's personal affairs!"

"Why won't you let me take his shirt off?", Ashido voiced her concern with unusual severity. While it would be easy to misinterpret her meaning as perverted or as a joke, she was legitimately curious and worried for the well being of her friend. That put Recovery Girl into a difficult position.

"I...I am not at liability to disclose personal information about my patient. The shirt stays on because he explicitly requested it to. Whatever conclusions you may derive from that are your own."

Mina's head became filled with possibilities, but not before the old medical practitioner lost her patience.

"Now... _get out of my office._ "

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxX

"Alright kids, you're about to go up there. You don't gotta prep any speeches but All Might is gonna give you a medal, say some words to you and he'll expect a few back, so don't freak out like the last years did, okay? Heh, that was honestly _too cute_. Imagine making it to the top three only to pass out when the symbol of peace talks to you! Hah!"

Midnight tried to lighten the mood, but it had the opposite effect for Mina. Given a medal by All Might and being able to talk to him? Izu would _kill_ for something like that! He wouldn't be able to stop nerding out for a week! She could already envision it. So cute!

"Ceremony is about to start! Step on the podiums, they'll rise up through the ground and I'll announce the big guy! You both earned this!"

With those last words, Midnight rushed up several flights of stairs to prepare the crowds. Mina felt so strange, standing on the 3rd place podium while Bakugou was in a wheelchair in first. A temporary solution, they said, until Bakugou got the strength back to reliably stand up on his own. Every second she could feel the temperature in the room increase, fueled by silent tension.

 _So...this is the cost of victory?_

"Hey...can you get me up?", Bakugou asked, almost causing Mina to faint.

 _He sounds so polite? Was he about to say please?_

Deciding not to test his humility, Mina obliged. She grabbed Bakugou and steadied him as he wobbled on his knees. Once he stood straight up she let go. In hindsight, that wasn't the best idea. He fell back down immediately.

"Oh my god I'm so-"

"It's fine."

The reply was anything but rude. It was downright nonchalant, as if he actually was okay with not being able to stand up on his own. Mina's heart raced from fear. Who was she sharing the room with, and what had they done with Katsuki Bakugou? She assisted him back into the chair. Still feeling uncomfortable, she tried to lighten the mood.

"You gave as good as you got. You gave better, actually. Last time he was hurt like that was from a 0-Pointer robot."

"He'll fully heal in a day. Don't kid yourself."

He didn't sound even slightly upset with that statement. She couldn't take it anymore.

"How can you be so relaxed?!? Are you in shock or something? Did you forget what had just happened between you and Izu? You can _barely move_ and you're okay with it!"

"Of course I'm not okay with it!", he snapped, but he held in his rage, because he...he..., "But I _won_ , damnit! _I beat him._ I did what mattered the most to me, and I'm gonna do it again next time too! This chair, these energy bars, everything!?! It's just preparation, because right now there's no fight, so it doesn't matter! I'm happy damnit! So just relax, Pinky!"

The circular winner's podium starting hissing in preparation. It was time to face the crowd. Mina steeled her nerves as the sound of the crowd grew louder and the vibrations grew stronger. A triumphant fanfare grew moreso by the second until the three podiums were fully exposed to the crowd, with one of them absent. She took in a breath and gave her best smile, because even though it had been a hell of a day, she thoroughly enjoyed the Yuuei sports festival experience.

"In addition to Mina Ashido, 3rd place also belongs to Tenya Iida, who left early for family reasons. 2nd place belongs to Izuku Midoriya, who is still in recovery from his spectacular match! Thank you all for your understanding." Midnight finished off her introduction by blowing a kiss to the camera.

"Next, we will award the medals. The one awarding the medals is a man you have all seen before _due to him being a show-off, ahem_...the presentation will be done by..."

A soaring, familiar, and all too triumphant laugh boomed throughout the building, once again driving the crowd into a frenzy. He jumped over the stadium and landed perfectly onto the area before the winner's podiums, announcing himself as he did.

 **"I am here, with the medals!"**

"Our very own hero, All Might!"

Unfortunately, Midnight _also_ announced him at the same time, creating a slightly awkward cutoff between the two dominant figures. A silent apology was issued between the two pros, accepted before it was issued.

"A-Ahem, All Might, please present the medals."

The pillar of justice collected the medals, pocketing the silver one for a personal visit. He presented the bronze to Mina, careful to avoid another awkward situation involving her horns snagging the medal. She enthusiastically accepted.

 **"Congratulations Mina Ashido! Your creative application of your quirk and superior flexibility will save many lives over, including your own. I suggest further training your body to capitalize on your greatest strengths."**

All Might then did something unexpected and _hugged her._ Initially shocked, she gleefully returned the gesture, surprised by how uncomfortable it was to hug someone so massive. She couldn't even reach his back! The psychological impact far exceeded the physical, however.

 _Like hugging a literal pillar...a warm pillar._ _Oh my god, Izu will be so jealous._

All Might then approached Bakugou's podium, gold medal shining for all to see. He held his arm before him for a mere second before recalling it. The message was clear. _Do you want me to help you stand up?_ Bakugou didn't feel the need to stand. He had already won. All Might handed the medal to Bakugou, who placed it on himself.

 **"Katsuki Bakugou, your exceptional combat prowess, quirk usage, and ability to withstand pressure have won you this tournament, but it is my belief that your overwhelming _presence_ is what will dictate your legacy as a hero. The ability to be decisive and aggressive in itself is a deterrent to evil deeds! I am proud to announce you as the winner of this year's Sports Festival!"**

Bakugou nodded at the legend, having had no more to say. All Might took this as his que. **"But listen here!"**

 **"Anyone here could have ended up on these podiums! It is just as you saw, competing, improving each other and climbing further! The next generation of heroes is sprouting here!"**

 **"And so, I just have _one more_ thing to say! Everyone say it with me!"**

The crowd, Mina, the students, even Bakugou (internally of course) readied themselves for the iconic catchphrase that defined an entire generation. The phrase that was, undoubtedly, the _single best possible way_ to send off a crowd of such magnitude. This legendary hero was too charismatic, too intelligent, too _experienced_ to possibly mess this up.

 **"Ready, Go!"**

 _"PLUS ULTRAAA!"_

 **"Thank you for your hard wor-"**

The crowd was silenced in shock, which quickly turned to exasperation directed at their beloved hero. Many of them even booed the social blunder. _"You were supposed to say 'Plus Ultra!"'_

 **"I-I just thought everyone worked really hard, is all..."** , he said sheepishly, allowing his kind nature to get the better of him.

After the ceremony, the students were escorted to several makeshift "game rooms" to soothe their nerves and wait until the attendees cleared out, as well as any pesky reporters who were looking for a scoop. Yuuei staff began the process of cleaning the stadium, a feat worthy of heroism in itself, and if it weren't for the boisterous laughs and commotion of the game rooms, the entire stadium would have been silent. Yet for 1-A...

"Ashido...Midoriya...Iida...now even Todoroki is gone! We won the tournament only for the stars to disappear on us! Nobody wants to talk to the guy who lost to the dude that controls _wind!_ So embarrassing!", Kaminari complained.

A few members of 1-B snickered at hearing that. Bakugou glared at Kaminari, who completely ignored the biggest winner in the entire room. Just as he was about to _politely inform him of his error_ , he caught sight of ghost bitch, Reiko Yanagi, staring at him from across the room. Her visable eye seemed to linger on the chair he was in. He glared at her halfheartedly, but didn't think much until she starting walking _towards_ him. This caught the attention of both 1-B and 1-A, who nervously kept their eyes on the pair. Bakugou redoubled his efforts to stand, resorting to leaning on the chair to maintain his height over her. Kirishima tried to butt in and stop what was happening before it happened.

"Woah guys, let's just relax, okay? You both made it to the finals and tha-"

"You've changed."

He raised his brow in response, a clear request to explain whatever the fuck she meant by a vague ass _You've changed._ She didn't bother with an elaboration, instead returning to her place on the other side of the room. Both classes sighed and resumed their recreation, admittedly quieter than before. Bakugou fell back into his seat, thinking on the phrase.

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxX

Mina rushed through the halls at a brisk pace. Technically she was supposed to stay in the game room with 1-B and 1-A, but she couldn't help it. She was restless. With Uraraka crying earlier and Iida leaving early...she needed to make sure, is all. She faked a confidence that could probably get her into a villain's lair if she bluffed hard enough. Any staff that caught wind of her simply assumed she was sent out deliberately, as well as not wishing to be the one to deliver bad news to Aizawa.

 _Shit. He's definitely going to find out I left._

That wasn't a pleasant thought, but it only emboldened her further. She was already in trouble, why not cross the line further while she was at it? Mina picked up her pace, and as she rounded a corner, nearly reaching her destination, she heard him.

No, not him. Todoroki and Endeavor. She hadn't recalled ever hearing Ice Dude so _loud_ though.

 _Hm...I guess he's not just Ice Dude anymore. I'm gonna have to make a new nickname._

She hid herself out of sight and listened.

"What you did was _sabotage_."

Icy cool tone, but still pissed off. That was Todoroki.

A rumbling, angry voice returned fire. That had to be Endeavor.

"There are **no rules** preventing hero visits to the contestants! I would see him, we have matters to discuss!"

"NO! I'm not talking about now! I'm talking about before the match. _Our match._ You offered him something, didn't you?"

"I will not be questioned by a rebellious **child** who has to be **forced** into their full potential! I did it so you would grow!"

 _"YOU DID IT FOR YOURSELF!"_

This was going to take awhile, she realized. Moving carefully, she took an alternative route. She found herself, finally, in front of the door which held Izu. She sighed and quietly opened the door, walking in once she confirmed no one but Recovery Girl was there.

Unfortunately, that last statement was to be taken literally. Izuku wasn't there. The nurse stared at her with a hint of dissapointment. "I knew you would make your way back here. I had him moved once he woke up. Yes, he's awake and yes, _he's fine._ He's talking with a staff member at the moment."

"All Might?"

"No."

Mina caught that. Nobody responded _that_ quickly unless they were angry or they were lying. Still, she didn't know _where_ he was, and there was no way she'd get that information any time soon. Mina sat down and sighed.

 _Where are you, Midori?_

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxX

Izuku Midoriya always enjoyed rooftops. While not fond of heights, he loved the feeling of the wind in his hair and the view they offered. This rooftop was expecially tranquil now that everyone had left. The relative silence soothed his soul. Then, a door opened some distance behind him. Judging from the sound the footsteps made...

 _Mina?_

"Hello, young Midoriya. Are you recovering well?", came a kind, hollow voice from a man with a medal in his pocket. The lesser known form of All Might walked towards the young hero. Izuku was shocked that he was so comfortably exposing himself like this...shocked and flattered that he held so much of the hero's trust.

"Y-Yes I am, All...", he really wasn't sure what to call him.

"We are alone, don't worry about it!", he laughed. All Might looked at the view, the pinnacle of civilization that he gifted to mankind with his lifetime of good deeds. Yet, he wasn't a man of pride. All he could think was how beautiful it was. He took in the view and moved on. As always, he was here on a mission. All Might took the silver medal in his bony hands.

"Izuku Midoriya, you have demonstrated creative strategy, excellent application of force, and the unsurpassed ability to _roll with the punches_ , no matter how hard you get hit. It is my honor to present you with with the second place medal. I know you will be one of the world's greatest heroes one day. Just keep doing what you're doing, young man!"

The thin form of All Might hugged Izuku's mighty frame, who hugged back as hard as safety possible. If he could cry, he'd be crying right now. Izuku made sure to record the memory so he could come back to it later. There was still something he needed from the man though...he trusted him enough to ask.

"Um...All Might?"

"Yes, my boy?"

Even though he was far more comfortable with his feelings than he was before today, the question was still difficult to ask.

"Have you...ever been on a date?"

All Might almost keeled over in laughter.

"Ahaha! Oh I'm sorry for laughing, my boy. It was just an unexpected question. I hardly have time for romance nowadays, but I do have some stories from my youth. I will answer any question you have."

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxX

It was difficult and tedious, but Mina managed to persuade Recovery Girl to tell her about the whereabouts of her friend. The roof was a strange place to recover, but she didn't question it, barrelling out of the door and past the angry father and son, much to their confusion. She should've looked at a map before she left, but Mina Ashido would never be defeated by a lack of direction. Confusion was where she thrived! She wandered until she found a set of stairs that led to the roof.

Opening the door, she found a strange sight. A really skinny guy with awesome hair in a yellow suit that looked a bit big for him was smiling and chatting with a tall student with metal hands and fluffy green h-

"IZU!", with only a warning shout, Mina charged the recovering student and attacked with a hugging uppercut; a _huggercut_ , if you will. Izuku braced himself in time and absorbed the blow, gleefully retaliating with a hug of his own. Hugging someone only to be hugged even tighter in return was more than enough to lift Mina's spirits. There was a weird thing poking her though, and it was bit too high for it to be what she thought it was...

 _Bad. Bad thoughts._

She saw it, the silver medal that All Might pocketed during the ceremony was now wrapped around Izuku's chest. She narrowed her eyes in thought and her social instincts took over, looking at Izu and then at the strange man. The former had a smile, with a strange tightness at edge of his lip, as if he was thinking up an excuse, while the latter...

She couldn't get a read on him, his face was shaped too differently from the others to make comparisons. He did seem familiar though. Those blue eyes held such an intense focus...

"What were you guys talking about?", she asked innocently.

"Mister Toshinori came here to give me the second place medal, and some words from All Might", Izuku cooly said.

"I-Indeed, All Might was called over to an emergency. A hero's work is never done", Toshinori said.

There were red flags flying in Mina's head, but they were discarded for war banners. All Might just _left?_ His biggest fan made second place, and he just _left?_ She got to hug All Might and he didn't! Couldn't he just send another hero? Could he seriously not stick around for a half hour to congratulate just _one more student?_

"So he didn't even bother to see you?", she commented coldly, directing her anger towards Toshinori, who almost cried from the amount of pure irony stuffed into this situation. He looked at Izuku apologetically for upsetting her.

"Mina, it's alright! We have him in one of our classes remember? I'm sure he wouldn't have gone if he wasn't needed."

"Indeed, I assure you he was needed elsewhere. Midoriya, congratulations."

With that, the lanky man left the two teenagers unsupervised and to their own devices.

 _Hm, perhaps I should have ensured they came back inside first._

Izuku felt his heart race once All Might left him alone with Mina. He wasn't nervous as much as he was excited, he was about to ask her out on a date! He was trying to hold back his smile, but his social enhancement augmentation prevented him from doing so. Mina smiled right back.

"What are you so happy about? Are you... _into_ the whole _almost dying_ thing?"

"N-No!"

"Hey, I'm not judging!"

"I'm not! I just...I really enjoyed the sports festival. I always saw it on TV but I never thought it'd be like this. I really enjoyed today..."

 _Pft. I almost forgot how much he must be nerding out today._

"...mainly the parts w-with _you_ in them", he bravely admitted. Mina briefly paused before she focused her full attention on his face.

" _Oh..._ so now you're starting our little game this time? Hehehe, okay! Let's see how long you can hold out...", mistaking this for their previous high-stakes game of nerves masquerading as flirtation, Mina grabbed each of Izuku's hands and held them apart, while also nudging his feet away from each other. When she was done, they were both like starfish, held together by their interlocked fingers. Initially confused, Izuku beath hitched and heart rate soared when Mina pressed her body against his heavier frame, partially relying on every part of him to not fall over. He felt her toned calves against his, her considerable bust against his chest, and her soft hands in his own. The worst part was her face, which couldn't quite match his due to a difference in height. Instead, it rested against his neck, which felt every one of her warm breaths. This was a game he knew he wasn't going to win, but there was something else as well.

 _She...she isn't taking me seriously. She doesn't think I'm ACTUALLY trying to ask her out! It's not just a game this time, Mina! I mean it. I really mean it!_

Struggling to keep himself from doing something he'd regret, Izuku continued their stance and spoke softly, doing his best to sound non-competitive and fully open up...to allow himself to be vulnerable.

"I...I wasn't joking, Mina. You were the best part of my day...you made me feel like I could do anything."

Mina grunted in response and nervously laughed, "Awww, thanks, but I'm not gonna fall for something so sappy!"

Izuku shivered as she let go of his hands in favor of playing with them instead. She was still treating this like a competition of nerves.

"I really m-mean it! You're amazing Mina. I didn't see your first fight, but you were so good against Yaoyorozu. I have never been so impressed with anyone like that before."

"F-Flattery? C'mon _Izu-chan,_ you can do better than that. I thought you wanted to win."

Mina upped her game by standing on her toes and nuzzling his cheek, careful to position herself as to not gouge him with her horns. Izuku felt as if his heart was about to explode, but aside from another hitch in breath, he kept himself composed.

"I...I want to take you out somewhere. Just the two of us, alone. I want to have something _special_ with you."

Mina wasn't ready for that. Her blush reached critical levels and her heart filled with fear. Fear that, just like before, this was another tactic to win their game, and that this moment would suddenly end. Mina leaned in fully, relying completely on Izuku to support her, and whispered softly in his ear.

 _"Do you really mean it?"_

There was no hint of playfulness in that question. He didn't know if she was setting him up for a joke or was actually serious, but it didn't matter. He had to tell her, every emotion in his body demanded it.

"Yes. I mean it. I want...I want to be your boyfriend, Mina!"

Mina broke their starfish and laughed in pure joy. She never thought she'd find the right time to ask him herself, _especially_ not right after this crazy day! Who knew her cute little Midori would ever be so brave? She never thought she'd consider a rooftop as heaven, but here she was! She lunged at Izuku for the last time, taking in his smiling, fragile face as it slowly turned to pure joy, realizing that she accepted. She may not have augmentations, but she didn't need them to remember this moment in exact detail.

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxX

 **Author's Notes:** I swear I'm not trying to make such long ass chapters, it just feels incomplete otherwise. Gah!

Characterizing Bakugou was more difficult than I anticipated. Sure, it's easy to say "Oh look, he's not NEEDLESSLY CRUEL now! How deep and insightful!! Please plow me and mentally abuse me Baku-kun~~", but I want him to have a REASON, MOTIVATION, and REALISTIC kind of growth. Where Izuku is regressing into his primal risk and reward mentality from being sheltered by his quirk, Bakugou is advancing beyond his self-centered pride, as he focuses on the win as opposed to himself and the praise he's received his entire life.

Also, having to write a variation of "Bakugou unleashed his two-handed explosion over Deku's freckled face" with some kinda professionalism was really, REALLY difficult.

Thanks for your reviews and input everyone! Not only am I a bit of a...shameless pleasurer for them, but they provide me some insight and alternative ideas to use in my stories! Easily a nice boost of motivation when I read one, even the critical ones make me think about and justify my reasons, which only cements the story and increases quality.

Also, how about that new episode? I know it's more or less a recap, but it's cool to see new MHA regardless, especially as an anime-only writer. That journalist guy was cool. It kinda does shame me that I started this story last year and wasn't able to catch up by the time a new season started but ahhh, such is the life of a lazy person who lacks discipline.

Amadeus Amadeus: While the injuries are definitely more severe in Augmented Hero, very very few instances were even close to being lethal, with Yaoyorozu's desperate attack being the closest one. My decision to have the characters inflict more punishment stems from two reasons.

The first, to deliver a "fuck you" to this anime (and every other anime tbh) that treats blunt force or alternative damage (flames, acid, etc) as minor injuries that hardly matter next scene. Someone gets slashed across the chest? Damn they dead. MC gets hit the in temple by a mace swung by a 250 pound soldier? You already know he's gonna get back up at some point. In this case, that hardly matters to Izuku because he's a fucking beast, but when used against other characters who don't have his durability, bad shit can happen (Bakugou being injured, Yaoyorozu in the infirmary for her hand, Todoroki asking if Mina's acid will scar him). Remember when Stain was fucking incinerated by Todoroki's flames and died? Me neither, he fell over from internal bleeding by Midoriya and Iida, despite the fact that even ONE of Iida's Recipro Burst kicks would have done the same thing when you consider how fast that mf can go.

The second, to emphasize Izuku's power. If he's going to be so damn powerful, I can't have the other students hold back in the slightest. Tension needs to be maintained. Izuku winning a fight is assumed, so I need to buff everyone else with him (particularly Bakugou) to maintain a balance, because I am NOT smart enough to make an entertaining story with an overpowered hero. He's easily stronger than everyone else at all times, so fuck it, why SHOULDN'T Iida have a buffed Recipro Burst?Why would anyone hold back? Not a lot of people can take a beating like he can, so having those key moments when someone gets the better of him via sheer ruthlessness (Yaoyorozu, Iida, Bakugou), they stand out and are remembered.

A potato: Yes, I AM still working on this. I like creating content and I'm pretty decent at writing.

YukiNikki: I have no idea why you're getting Kaguya-Sama references, My Hero is pretty much the only anime I've fully watched. (Though I will confess, that new Demon Slayer looks kinda nice.)

Up next, a date and the start of the internship arc! -Delusional777


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